Pink Pants

Pink Pants

Today I attended a communicable disease conference at Wrightsville Beach. Guest speakers from across the state talked about everything from the avian flu to fungal meningitis.

One physician offered hope that we would see a cure for HIV in our lifetime, but miracle drugs and scientific breakthroughs are of no benefit if the patient fails to follow up for testing and treatment.

As the communicable disease nurse for our county I'm expected to pay attention and bring back current information on improving care for our patients, but I love people watching.

The person I admired most today was a gay man. How do I know he was gay, you might ask? He was wearing a bright pink tie, a blue shirt and rose colored jeans. He was about thirty, clean cut and physically fit. His smile was infectious, as was his passion.

He described what his health department was doing to combat the war on AIDS. Their success rate was impressive. He and his co-workers have gone the extra mile to achieve an undetectable viral load in their clients.

They are teaming to up to track down their HIV positive patients who aren't coming in for care. Their efforts have resulted in a dramatic improvement in serving their population, but patients have to take an active part.

Today's speaker touched my heart. He expressed a great deal of confidence when he donned that pastel outfit this morning. His attire was perfect and added just the right touch of authenticity and credibility to his speech. I was proud of him.