When I was a social work intern, I worked with an African American mother who had AIDS and whose 6 children were HIV+. The father of her children had been an IV drug user who had died of AIDS. The mother was in poor health, and rarely sought her own treatment. I had a hard time tracking her down because she spent most of the day, every day, on public transportation with one child or another taking them to and from medical appointments. I remember being on the bus with her one day (because that was only place I could meet with her), listening to her talk about how she had successfully fought hospital administration to get treatment for one of her kids. Being the eager social work student that I was, fully prepared to acknowledge my clients strengths and resources, I told her that I was in awe of her strength. “How do you do it?” I asked her. Her response totally caught me off guard. She said, “The good lord will give me only as much as I can handle.”
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This was simple if the social worker had faith like this mother had. Any social worker should realze that religion is a very important factor in the culture of any race of people. This mother was not drowning herself in sorrow but doing the best that she could. It is so sad that she had to fight for healthcare for her child. All children should be provided with healthcare. These children are innocent little beings.This really should not have been a problem because HIV is a disability by most states and have clinics and many resources for getting treatment for HIV patients. The social worker should have been able to help this mother.I am so glad that this mother was a strong mother who relied on God for her needs.
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