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DEL.ICIO.US” A real trek for Janie Bruce”
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
AIDS has claimed two of her relatives.
John, a cousin, acquired the virus through sexual transmission. He was tall, well-built, handsome. By the time the Atlanta man died in 1994, he was a shell of himself. An HIV-related cancer had ravaged his 35-year-old body.
“A horrible death,” Janie Bruce told me. “His death was one that no one should have to face.”
Then there was Cindy, another family member of Bruce’s. She, too, contracted the virus via sex. The 30-year-old Snellville mother died of liver failure in 1999, leaving three kids behind.
Suffice it to say that Bruce, of Grayson, knows what families experience, what it’s like to live with the virus. She became a volunteer with AIDAtlanta shortly after her cousin’s diagnosis. And she continues to help the cause through AIDGwinnett, which also serves Rockdale and Newton counties.
According to its Web site, the agency has helped more than 900 clients and families with everything from food to medical care and preventive education. Volunteers, which number more than 200, make it happen.
Bruce, a five-year volunteer, does whatever she’s asked. Office and clinic work. Recruitment. She’s trained to counsel and conduct HIV tests, too.
“The only thing I haven’t done is mail delivery,” she said, “and that’s because I’m not the best driver in the world.”
Sharon Kricun, an AIDGwinnett manager, praises Bruce’s dedication.
“She’s come in, enthusiastically, and helped us every time we have asked her to do something,” she said. “This is a big weekend. We hope she’ll be able to come.”
The 2007 Atlanta AIDS Walk takes place at 2 p.m. Sunday in Midtown’s Piedmont Park. It’s a 5K walk with proceeds benefiting area programs like AIDGwinnett, based in Duluth. Several “walk teams” have signed on to raise money for the local agency, which hopes to pocket $40,000.
Last year, Bruce served as captain of the agency’s walk team. This year, she just hopes to be able to attend. She was born with a hip problem that has led to complications. Her right leg is amputated below the knee; a recurring infection has confined her to a wheelchair in recent months. She’s learning how to walk again. Slowly.
“I hope I’m able to be there, but it depends on how wheelchair-friendly Piedmont Park is,” Bruce said. “I know they have access, but on that day it will be real limited.”
But even if she can’t attend the walk-a-thon, Bruce will be present in spirit. For us on the outside, looking in, Bruce has a suggestion.
“Pick up the telephone and call any HIV agency in Atlanta and ask questions,” she said. “You’re not going to overcome any misinformation and fears without knowledge, and that’s the best thing to equip yourself with. It can change you, motivate you to walk, volunteer, to give.”
For more information about AIDGwinnett or Saturday’s AIDS Walk, call 678-990-6440 or visit www.aidgwinnett.org.
Rick Badie’s column appears on Sundays, Tuesdays and Thursdays. Contact him at 770-263-3875 or e-mail: rbadie@ajc.com.
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