Synopsis

As requested in the comments from my Congrats Time post, here is a synopsis that John has written regarding his book AIDS: My Brother's Story. I am not sure when it will be available to purchase, but if you are keen you can contact Longmans Australia.

The book AIDS: My Brother's Story was prompted by my elder brother Jimmy (alias) who is the main character in the book. When Jimmy found out he had AIDS, he was devastated. He also did not know what to do. He tried to hide the disease and blame it on the asthma, because he was a heavy smoker. But soon people in the village caught on and while being sympathetic of the physical degradation of his body, many thought it was his problem and he deserved to die.

Jimmy accepted the fact that he had made a mistake and would now pay for it. But he wanted others, elder people like himself and even youths to know more about the consequences of the disease/virus. He therefore, asked me to write his story and the books AIDS: My Brothers Story is in fact his story, written by me. He believed that if someone could read a factual story about the AIDS epidemic and stop unprotected sex, it may save his life. This would make him happy to know that one life had been saved through reading the story in a book form.

The book tells about the AIDS virus and how it affects the immune system (our physical body). It tells the trauma of looking after one person with AIDS. The heart of gold, that is required of a person to clean the waste, urine and filth deposited on the sheets because in the final stages of the virus attacked, like Jimmy, a person is unable to control his bowl movements. To clean and wash a person smelling of shit is not an easy thing. Jimmy saw this happening and was deserved.

But my family regraded him as one of our own. He was a brother, father, son, uncle friend to many and we looked after him. He wanted people to know that please, "never neglect a person with AIDS." He needs to know you love him and if you take care of him positively, he will die a happy man. That's all they need, OUR LOVE and CARE, until they meet their deaths.

I am glad that the National AIDS council has taken the initiative to use the book to help fight the spread of AIDS. The public, after reading a real life story of an AIDS suffer and his struggles to accept his fate, can make the right choices in life. Young people can read book and know that AIDS does not pass through touch or by sitting on a persons bed. These phobias are not warranted. "You can get AIDS through Unprotected Sex as Jimmy did. One mistake and it caused him to die, and in the most terrible way." That is the message and we all have the freedom of choice.