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Alicia West Special to The Ebbtide I remember her in the mirror getting ready for a date as I gazed upon her like the Barbie doll I had in my hand. I knew that she had a certain something that I wanted to possess, as well as the many dates that called her. She was a bright 24-year-old living the life of the early '90s. The old school movie "Heathers" seemed to describe the clicks and dramatic escapades in her life. In mid-1994 something was about to change my aunt Paulette's direction in life, and change her family and friends all around her. She was heading home from Eastern Washington University, where she was hit head on by an oncoming car. She had many stitches and bruises. Her loss of blood required an intravenous blood transfusion. My aunt Paulette recovered with all her strength and will. Two years passed. She spent her time well, working and finishing her degree at Eastern. In 1998 she receive her bachelor of arts degree. I was in the front row with the rest of my family as I watched her grab that well-deserved diploma. We had an Italian feast at my grandparents' house that night. My mother was so proud of her baby sister. It was around 8:30 p.m. when my grandma was pinning something on her daughter's dress when the beginning of my aunt's battle began. She said she could not hear us very well, and Mom jokingly told her to "lay off the wine." Everyone laughed. Almost at the same time she fell to the floor. She was rushed to the emergency room and told that her right ear drum was permanently damaged from the walking pneumonia apparently she was carrying. Six weeks later, Paulette was still in bed, trying to recover. She just couldn't fight off the symptoms of the virus. The doctor called my grandmother. He wanted to admit Paulette back into the ER for treatment and dehydration. We were all shaken up because of the doctor's request to summon the whole family with her. The nurse escorted us into a dark room with sofas and a phone. It was so dim. If this was going to be bad news, why would we be confined to a room that was so dark and shadowy? When the doctor came in there was no initial warning. He told us that Paulette was infected with HIV. His diagnosis was clear, for my grandparents had more than a second opinion. Paulette's life changed overnight, through contaminated blood that was pumped into her system. She survived a car crash that was so horrible it was written up in the Spokesman Review. What she didn't survive was the treatment and unexpected turn her life took. After she fought off the pneumonia and was stabilized, she came home. Things were strange for the first year. We all felt like we were walking a thin line and it could break any time. She got a job part time at the library and had to take up to 18 pills a day. Paulette didn't complain about the doctor visits as much as seeing her personal therapist. She had no idea what to say to a woman who knew nothing of how this disease affected her and the people that loved her. Time grew strong for her, in a sense there was no more questioning. She wanted to use her time to speak out, and writing as much as she could about this disease. A while later a bloody nose occurred along with a fainting spell the same day. Paulette was admitted to the ER and then to the hospital. The doctors gave her days. It had spread quickly in her. For some, full-blown AIDS can be delayed depending on a person's immune system. I went to her funeral today. I still feel guilty for just talking the last three weeks on the phone to her. Some of our talks lasted for hours and laughs echoed through the phone lines. Other times, her lungs were retaining so much fluid that she wanted to hear me speak. The one thing Paulette wasn't afraid of was dying. She was upset and angry that she might not have enough time for all of us. Her last words on the phone to me last week were, keep your passion alive, Alicia, and listen to your heart. It usually sings the right tunes. © 2002 Shoreline Community College™ |