AIDS Hospice

Hi there,

Yesterday we visited an AIDS hospice clinic on our way back to Bangkok. It also had a museum that we were able to visit, with preserved bodies of patients that had died of AIDS. Although this sounds a little scary, it was actually very interesting. The woman that was giving us the tour said that these would be the last preserved bodies that the museum would have due to unpopular opinions about the storage of actual bodies. She also showed us the many bags of ashes and bones that were stored there. These bags are the remains of patients whose families did not want to keep them. There were large bags in the back, that had not been ground yet and smaller bags all around of those that had already been ground into fine powder. This was extremely saddening to me, to see the hundreds to thousands of bags that remained, meaning this many families did not want to give their family member a proper burial or funeral solely due to the fact that they had HIV or AIDS. It goes to show that there still is an unfortunate stigma that is present towards these patients, not only in Thailand, but around the world. Next we were shown around the wards where the patients stayed. They were separated into a men's ward and a women's ward downstairs for the patients that needed daily assistance and constant care. Upstairs was another men's ward for those that were able to help themselves with daily activities and did not need as much constant care. Then there were small huts outside that were for patients that were able to take care of themselves. Our tour guide told us that they lived there because they did not have anywhere else to go, often due to being shunned by their families. This was a very tear jerking experience, seeing all of their faces and frail bodies, although some still managed to smile and say hello to us as we walked by. I can only hope that as we learn more about this disease and through the spread of knowledge and facts, we can minimize the number of patients infected and the stigma that has evolved around it. 

 

 

Check back in later!

-Lindsey