Interview Reflections - Kelsey Bennett

1. Describe your feelings about or response to the interview.

I loved doing this interview! It was totally worth the wait. Dr. Lee is one of the most respected doctors in the country in regards to HIV/AIDS. I was so impressed with her knowledge and experience with the HIV. She had crazy stories about her work - some good and some horrific. Dr. Lee was very laid back, honest, and real when interviewed. The interview flowed more like a conversation than anything else. She answered questions thoroughly and even provided answers to questions we had not yet asked. She was super talkative and passionate about her work. It was interesting to hear what it was like working when HIV was first discovered and first being treated. In the early years of HIV, the disease and treatments for it were a complete mystery. Since then, we have gained a lot of useful knowledge. I left thinking about how cool her job was and I wish I could have stayed longer.

2. What changes occurred for you as a result of your interview?

I have always been very sympathetic to people with HIV/AIDS since I know people with the virus. I felt they were unfairly discriminated against because of the stigmas that go along with the disease. People frequently think if a person has AIDS he or she is homosexual, a prostitute, or a drug user. People don’t want to tell others what they have because of these stereotypes. AIDS is also frequently the target of many jokes and sarcastic one-liners. I know that much comes from lack of proper knowledge regarding the virus. In high school, I singlehandedly organized recognizing World AIDS Day each year at my school with the supervision of the Campus Minister. My goal was to educate the girls in my school. That week, the Campus Minister told me that she, the Morality teacher, and the science teachers had all gotten tons of questions about HIV/AIDS because of World AIDS day. Those questions stimulated discussions in class. Everyone has a cause that he or she is passionate about, and HIV/AIDS is mine. The change that occurred for me is slight. I now see that the discrimination and stigma associated with HIV is nothing close to what it was in the past in the beginnings of the virus. I could not believe some of the stories Dr. Lee told us. I am grateful that the things that happened in the past cannot legally occur now. While there is a long way to go, I find comfort knowing how far people have come in accepting those with HIV/AIDS.

3. Did anything about the interview disturb you?

During this interview, I don’t think I was disturbed so much as saddened by the disbelieving stories. It is amazing to hear about the panic that swept through not only the medical field, but the country during the 1980’s. People who were HIV positive were evicted from houses and apartments. They lost their jobs, and any health insurance that was through their employer. Insurance companies didn’t want to spend the time or money to cover people with this new disease. Sometimes even after death, life insurance companies would take away the insurance money from family members if the cause of death was AIDS. For these reasons, people refused to get a diagnosis and treatment. Dr. Lee mentioned that she had to make house calls many times. When she arrived, the patients had already died, but people didn’t want coroners to realize the patient was HIV positive. Many also begged her to change the cause of death on the death certificate. Dr. Lee never did, though I imagine it had to have been tough to see and hear people beg. Another awful story we heard also showed the fear that HIV brought about. One man at the clinic had a mass in his chest that needed a biopsy. This man also happened to have AIDS. The only doctor at the clinic who was able to perform the biopsy procedure refused because the man had AIDS. The doctor did not want to endanger himself or his family for a stranger. He did not write down this reason or anything that could compromise his position as a doctor, but found loopholes to refuse treatment. The man ended up dying shortly after. It is interesting to hear about people’s ethics when put into situations like this one. Like I said before, I am happy that these situations legally cannot happen today.  

4. Describe the connections you found between the interview and your research & classwork.

The most obvious connection was the brief discussion of the CCR5 receptor. She reiterated what we talked about in class (about the receptor itself and about immunity that can result from a homozygous recessive individual). We also touched on how chimpanzees are genetically similar to humans, which helped the virus cross over so easily. Monkeys are all very genetically similar, and the virus also crossed to other species several other times. Also, just like SIV changed to HIV, there have been other viruses that have started to spread via bush meat. One example is the Simian Foamy Virus, which has already crossed to a couple humans in Africa. She also told us that different races are more susceptible to HIV and more likely to be missing the CCR5 receptor. Evolutionarily, people of different races differ from each other, and it would be interesting to see what it is that makes one race less likely to get the virus.