Support for people with HIV
"Phong Sida" is a familiar, not derogatory, name that people call Mr. Phong, because it reflects their awareness of HIV/AIDS, something that Mr. Phong has always worked hard to build and communicate over the years.
It was not by chance that Phong chose this path, perhaps it was fate. Phong had a difficult childhood when his father left his mother and son. At the age of 18, Phong moved from his hometown of Long An (now Tay Ninh) to Ho Chi Minh City to study college. In the middle of the bustling city, he stayed in a poor working-class area near Saigon train station. He did all kinds of jobs to make a living such as porter, salesman, and contractor... However, it was this residential area that showed Phong the humanity in strangers who did not know each other.
Phong recalls that at that time he had no knowledge about HIV/AIDS, only when a friend of Phong passed away right before his eyes due to HIV infection did he truly see its cruelty. "Before he left, my friend told me, Phong, try to live, there are many people who need your help. At that time, the two brothers were discussing a plan to help people with HIV, but he passed away before he could do it. So Phong decided to follow this path and do the work his friend left behind," Phong shared.
Mr. Phong has been with many people infected with HIV to encourage, share and help them stand up...
Phong said that the HIV-infected community is very lonely, sometimes they are excluded from society, no one is brave enough to care for them. Even Phong's mother advised him not to pursue this job, why not choose another job?
"Why don't so many vulnerable people in society go to support people with HIV instead? That's the question many of my friends ask me. So if everyone avoids people with HIV, they will invisibly exclude them from the community, who will help them? The more so, the more determined I have to be by their side, be their friend, and not back down," Phong shared.
To reassure his mother, Phong told his mother to let him try this job for 2 years. That was the time period in which Phong helped many people from the depths of despair to return to a positive life. Only then did his mother accept him to wholeheartedly pursue this special job - befriending people with HIV.
Many people saw that Phong was so dedicated that they asked, "Does Phong have HIV?" Phong calmly replied, "Does that matter?" Infected or not, we can still work, talk and aim for good things, so don't worry too much about it.
"Phong's job is sometimes very simple: Just listen!"
Mr. Phong remembers clearly the first time he counseled an HIV-infected person nearly 20 years ago. That person was a young student from the countryside who came to study in Ho Chi Minh City. When he learned that he was HIV-infected, he came to Phong and cried a lot.
To ease the tension, Phong went to get her some water to drink, advised her to calm down, and told her stories of other people being infected with HIV. "I asked, have you done anything for your family? Have you made your mother's favorite dishes? She said never. I said: Then you have to live to do those things, that is the responsibility of a child. She held my hand, I knew she was changing her mind and determined to live with HIV. Sometimes Phong's job is very simple, that is: Just listen," Phong shared.
For people living with HIV, being diagnosed positive is not the end but the beginning of a new journey in life – the journey of living together. To live safely, people living with HIV need to comply with treatment, have healthy living habits and most importantly, have an optimistic spirit. These are the golden principles that Mr. Phong repeats to his community every day.
Mr. Phong was a speaker at a conference on HIV.
Many people who discover they are infected with HIV become self-conscious, do not dare to contact anyone, and when they get opportunistic infections, they do not dare to go to the hospital for treatment and die quietly. Therefore, Phong and some retired doctors established the "Nha Minh" clinic in 2017 (at 951 Ba Dinh Street, Binh Phu Ward, Ho Chi Minh City) right at Phong's house to welcome, advise, and support treatment for patients. "They come here like returning to their own home, without fear, without worry, without discrimination. When someone asks me, "Phong, how long do you have to live?" Phong will ask back: "How long do you want to live? And how long do you live is as important as how do you live? From there, I stabilize their spirit to provide the best treatment," Phong shared.
Since then, Phong has established the Fanpage "Phong's Story" to receive and disseminate information and advice about HIV/AIDS to the community. The stories that you share and spread on the Fanpage can help people in high-risk groups raise awareness of prevention or help HIV-infected people who do not know where to turn to have a place to confide their feelings.
"There are many anonymous friends who text Phong, there are days when Phong receives hundreds of friends, work is very busy but Phong has never refused anyone. There are friends who have been treated well, got married and have children and then showed them to Phong, making Phong very happy," Phong shared.
The journey never stops
On the journey of making friends with people living with HIV, there were times when Phong felt overwhelmed, but he felt he received more than he lost. It took more time, he did not have his own family, he did not fulfill his filial duties… but Phong has helped tens of thousands of people living with HIV and at high risk regain their faith in life, regain the self they thought they had lost.
However, Phong once consulted a case for treatment. The treatment process was quite good, but that person stopped treatment, leading to drug resistance and opportunistic infections, and could not be saved. There was a friend infected with HIV who took preventive medication and then had an unsafe relationship a few months later, which made Phong very sad. In particular, two of Phong's close friends were also infected with HIV, Phong was the one who directly tested and gave them the results. "Even if I can't change my close friends, sometimes it makes Phong depressed and disoriented for months," Phong confided.
Mr. Phong and the team of Nha Minh clinic.
In the face of thanks from many people, Phong still humbly said that Phong alone cannot do anything but always has the cooperation of benefactors, volunteers and most of all, the will of people infected with HIV and the correct awareness of the community. "There are many people who have been treated stably and come back to Phong to support people in the same situation, they want to contribute their efforts to prevent this HIV virus, that is what Phong is very happy about".
"Our family always welcomes you with open arms, if you encounter any problems, do not hesitate to text Phong. Phong will face it with you, no one will be left behind or simply, your story will be a valuable lesson to help raise public awareness about HIV/AIDS. Your feelings are our feelings", Phong shared.
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Source: https://suckhoedoisong.vn/nguoi-gan-20-nam-lam-ban-voi-nguoi-nhiem-hiv-aids-169251119131344989.htm
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