Alive And Not-So-Well

I first heard about the group Alive and Well AIDS Alternatives when I read that one of my favorite bands supported the organization. At the time, I was very torn about what to do. Foo Fighters remains one of the best bands to emerge from the 90's, yet I don't support Alive and Well's message. Alive and Well is an organization that believes that HIV doesn't lead to AIDS, and that HIV meds either cause AIDS, lead to AIDS, or inhibit your life by sucking away your money needlessly. Instead, they promote a "healthy alternative" to HIV treatment, advocating exorcise, proper diet, and vitamins can manage HIV and prolong the life of a person afflicted by the disease.

Recently, one of the biggest proponents of the group died at the age of 52. While her death due to complications of AIDS is tragic enough, the true tragedy comes to light when you understand that she was HIV positive when she had her daughters, and refused to test her daughters for the disease because she did not believe that HIV could be spread through the womb or during birth.

It saddens me a lot when I hear this kind of story, because it seems to me that this woman was so full of hope… but it was, sadly, misplaced hope that ultimately led to her's and her daughter's death. She believed so strongly in this alternative that she refuted science and science's proven methods to extending the life of an HIV/AIDS victim. I have to wonder how much more of a positive affect she would have had if she had continued to placed her energy toward promoting AIDS research and funding and the legislation that surrounds it.

I don't know what to make of these groups and people that support them though. I can't imagine what it must be like to be a victim of such a horrible disease, but I also can't truly imagine looking proven realities in the face and saying "You're Wrong!" You don't get the chance to bargain with nature, so pushing a line doesn't work. It's not political. No amount of protesting or arguing or law-making will change the fact that HIV leads to AIDS, and without proper treatment, it will kill you.

So, when my boys in Foo Fighters support such an organization, I have to question my loyalty to the band. There was a time when a new Foo Fighters album was a no-brainer purchase for me. But now I'm not so sure about that. I expect those in celebrity positions, people that can influence others for good or for worse, to understand what they are backing before they do so, and I'm not really sure Dave Grohl and friends get it. Maybe they were misinformed about the whole deal, but misinformation still does not wash the blood off your hands when it leads to unnecessary deaths.