Email CCSD or Vis-à-vis | CCSD Home Page| Table of Contents (current issue)I have heard so many women say, "If it was but for me, I'd commit suicide, but my child needs me." Despair in women with HIV is fully justified; responsibilities and stress skyrocket when women find out that they or their children or both are HIV+. Many of them are single moms because their partner has died of AIDS or, more often, because the partner has left them. Living with HIV/AIDS is a challenging struggle for survival.
Like most women, women who are HIV+ put their own needs second to the needs of their children. After a child is born to an HIV+ woman, it can be up to 18 months before tests confirm whether the child has the virus. (All infants of HIV+ mothers will test positive at birth because they carry their mothers' HIV antibodies.) Meetings with doctors at hospitals, doctors' offices and medical clinics about the health of their HIV+ or potentially HIV+ child leaves little time and energy for these women to do the same for themselves.
HIV can be transmitted from mother to child during pregnancy, at birth or during breast- feeding. Statistics vary, but about one baby in five born to an HIV+ women in Canada is infected with the virus. One study has shown that the chance of passing HIV to the baby can be reduced if the HIV+ woman takes antiviral medication during pregnancy. This medication, formerly known as AZT, requires an adjustment period from a few days to a few weeks, as women experience tremendous physical and emotional reactions to the drug.
In the Ottawa-Carleton area since February 1994, women with HIV/AIDS have had a community service tailor-made to meet their needs. The idea of implementing a service for the previously overlooked female seropositive clientele was born at the Centre Medical Ste-Anne. Thanks to a team of volunteers, trained and supervised by professionals, this clientele benefits from a range of practical social services. Women can receive accompaniment or transport to the many doctor's appointments, baby-sitting services during doctor's appointments (and while women are adjusting to new medications) and many other services that promote accessibility to and maintenance of a course of medication.
Our experience has shown that women, especially immigrant women, who are HIV+ are very concerned about maintaining their confidentiality. The reasons for this are valid fear of violence or being stigmatized, shame and concern for the safety and well-being of their children. This need for confidentiality is a huge barrier to group work with HIV+ women, but we are pleased that we are able to provide practical assistance and a supportive environment to these women and children who so desperately need them.
Christine Villeneuve works at the Centre Medical Ste-Anne. She can be reached at:
500 Old St. Patrick
Ottawa, ON, K1N 9G4
Tel: (613) 789-1552, fax: 789-0659
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