J 4. THE NATIONAL COLLE E NEWSPAPER 4 News Feat OCTOBER 1989 OCTOBER 1989 C isfied Ads 1989 V U. THE NATION COLLEGE NEWSP Female AIDS patient shuns despair to help others By Robin Wessels Kansas State Collegian Kansas State U. Rebecca Rene had several strikes against her from the beginning - her parents were alcoholics and she was moved from one foster home to another. "As a kid you are immortal. You think you have the rest of your life," the 20- year-old said. But in July 1988, all that went down the tubes, she said, because Rene tested positive for the acquired immune defi- ciency syndrome virus. "I was tested six times before I really believed it. Believe it. Nice people get AIDS. It's an indis- criminate disease." Rene spoke this spring at the Manhattan Regional Conference on Independent Living at Kansas State U. to help teach how to live with the disease. "I don't feel comfortable talking about the virus and how to get it," she said. "It's not relavent how I got it. The problem is that I have it." Rene, who attends college in Joplin, Mo., suffers from all of the AIDS symp- toms: fatigue, night sweats, chills or low- grade fever, sore throat, coughs, diar- rhea, weight loss and shortness of breath. She tried to overdose on pills when she first realized she had AIDS. "When I woke up, which wasn't planned, I had a new outlook," she said. "I had a purpose." Rene now volunteers with the Four State Community AIDS Project in Joplin. Through the project, a non-profit AIDS education organization, Rene has been helping others understand AIDS and supporting those who have it. Rene plans to get a degree in art. "If I live long enough to finish," she said. But at this point she's not sure she will even be able to keep a job. She has already been fired from two jobs because of AIDS. "It's a hurtful disease. Sometimes all I can do is cry and pray," she said. "I do a lot of both." FOR LOVE OF COUNTRY- 100% COTTON BUMPER T-SHIRTS rj S R.4t.. STICKER $12.96. ~OR SWEA t t BUTTON SWEA ~ cuo S-ML-XL PRIM~ XXL-XXL-- INCLUDE ADO S31DO N SIPPING (WHITE ONLY) 4 CLR. SUC. SCR. ON RED. WHITE, YELLOW. BLUE QUALITY T-SHIRTS OR SWEATSHIRITS Sd lo r num ord s UE PRESENTSPY YllCLUB |. BOX 1436MALNILA. KS8215 FOR INFQX913) 5994410 / VISA "M/C FREE HAT CATALOG Undercover Trading Co.527 Third Avenue Suite 187 NewYork, NY 10016 CUSTOMIZED BOXERS TSHIRTS " IE-DYE Unique imprinted or tie-dyed garments. Great for fundraisers, dorms, greek events, etc. (min. 3 doz.) FREE CATA- LOGUE P.O. Box 49, Dept. U s Syracuse, NY 13205 R 1 (800) 825-2697 DENIM JACKET ART COMPANY. Hand painted denim jackets. We paint anything you want. Call (201) 586-3200 or write for free brochure: Box 142, Mt. Tabor, NJ 07878 0 b"ONN CUSS + ea 1 ' orb , tbti°4ae PP ' q