|
|
|
|
|
Introducing Letters from The House
The Newsletter of The Wright House Wellness Center |
|
|
|
|
|
|
This month we highlight our HIV/AIDS Support Group and how it makes a difference in our clients' lives.
|
|
Joining a support group is a very important step for any individual who is HIV-positive. It may mean a complete reversal in the manner in which he or she is living with HIV/AIDS. In some cases, it could mean the difference between life and death. In most cases, it will probably have considerable impact on the quality of life of the individual.
|
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
|
|
I CAN'T DO THIS ALONE 
A positive diagnosis of HIV--or the subsequent collective symptoms, diseases and infections that ultimately manifest as AIDS--is nothing short of devastating. Compound that by lives affected, including those diagnosed, their spouses and partners, children and parents, friends and co-workers. Add vast amounts of time, energy and money to be expended in the very act of staying alive, let alone healthy and balanced.
If the sheer facts of the matter overwhelm, the psychological implications are staggering. The disease itself brings not only physical, but the potential for psychological symptoms and disorders, including memory problems, difficulty focusing, delusions, depression, lack of energy, mood disorders and feelings of isolation among others. MORE
|
 | "The 48,000 hand-sewn panels of the AIDS Memorial Quilt are a tangible demonstration of love, loss, celebration and determination."
On display in Washington, DC. Click HERE for more info. |
|
|
|
Thank You Wright House Donors!
It can be hard enough to cope with a diagnosis of any serious illness, let alone one with the stigma of HIV and AIDS. This disease can be very isolating without the support of friends, family and coworkers. For me, The Wright House Support Group has always been a safe place and a place to feel "normal" as I deal with HIV.
My family disowned me after coming out to them about my sexuality. Years later, when I called them crying after discovering I was HIV positive, a door was opened, but they are still unable to talk about it or provide any real emotional support. The Group has helped fill that void in my life.
When I was first diagnosed, I knew little about this disease and I was sure my life would be short. My biggest fear was not being around to take care of my dogs for the rest of their lives. How would they understand when I was gone? With the strength and support of Karen Breeding and the long-term survivors in the Group, I no longer see HIV as a death sentence. I am now living with this disease and planning for the future. I have even adopted a new puppy with the additional life-long love and commitment that he brings. I still have work to do, but have come a long way thanks to this Group.
A Grateful Wright House Client
|
|
|
|
THE WRIGHT HOUSE WELLNESS CENTER HIV/AIDS SUPPORT GROUP
WE'VE GOT A GREAT THING GOING--THROUGH SEPTEMBER
Join us in growing and securing our Free Support Group Services.
Click HERE or call 512-467-0088 to make a donation.
READ ON TO SEE THE DIFFERENCE YOU MAKE!
| |
THIS IS MY STORY...
I came to Austin in the late 1990s to attend the graduate program at UT's School of Social Work. After practicing a few years, I left to attend law school, returning to Austin three years later to continue advocating for the rights and needs of the poor. In 2008, as a married woman in my early thirties, I was diagnosed as HIV positive.
Even with a lot of education and experience as a social worker, I knew very little about HIV. Although my doctor tried to reassure me that the disease was manageable, I was scared and felt I would die from it. While I was very fortunate to have good doctors and access to treatment, I knew I was experiencing trauma and needed help. My inner social worker kicked in and I immediately sought support from community resources. The Wright House Wellness Center offered an open door to me--a support group--even though I didn't meet traditional income guidelines.
I'll never forget the first Group I attended four years ago - that 90 minutes changed my life. I met people who had been living with this disease for 20+ years and others like me who were recently diagnosed. More importantly, I saw people not just surviving but thriving. Everything my doctor told me came to life in Group. MORE
|
|
|
|
Thanks go out to Dave Pantano, his Staff, Patrons and Project Transitions for a fabulous and most successful April Showers fundraiser at Rain on 4th. See you next year!
________________________________________
|
WE CAN'T WAIT
...to use our two laptops furnished by Padgett Stratemann, a CPA and Business Advisory firm locally owned and based in San Antonio and Austin, Texas. Said Richard Cole, Chief Information Officer, at Padgett Stratemann. "We continue to find local non-profits extending the lives of their computers out 8 - 10 years and sharing machines between two or more staff members to avoid higher technology costs....This need is prevalent in our community. We are working to help those that help others."
The Wright House Wellness Center was chosen from a field of 40 nonprofit organizations.
Thank You to our friends at Padgett Stratemann!
 | | Cecile Shopen (WHWC), Celeste Castro (PS&Co.) and Leah Graham (WHWC) |
|
|
|
YOU CAN HELP - DON'T SEND A DIME!
Every month, we get a check from Randalls for a portion of funds spent by shoppers. It may not be a lot, but it adds up over the years.
What to do - Do it ASAP! Go to Randalls Customer Service and ask to designate Nonprofit Number 443 to receive a portion of your purchase. That's it! You will be supporting The Wright House Wellness Center.
THANKS SHOPPERS, THANKS RANDALLS!
These unrestricted funds make a big difference! We can use them to keep on the lights, help pay for a print job or a mailing, to assure longevity of our support group or respond to an unforeseen "excellence" opportunity.
|
LOOKING FOR FREE YOGA?
Cherrywood Coffeehouse
Monday - Saturday, 8:00 a.m.
1400 East 38th 1/2 Street, Austin, TX 78722
This class is not affiliated with WHWC
|
|
|
|
|
About Us
The philosophy of The Wright House Wellness Center is to help people living with or at-risk for HIV/AIDS and/or hepatitis C make healthier life-style choices, employ complementary/holistic health therapies to delay illness, and contribute back to the community.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
I Can't Do This Alone continued
For many reasons, few want to openly discuss their infection. And yet, emotional healing cannot take place without catharsis. While the social stigma of HIV/AIDS has lessened with education and understanding, it still remains. Fears of public embarrassment or losing loved ones, a job and place in society abound and grief--for the loss of one's life as it was and for those taken by the disease--calls for witness.
The irreversible nature of the diagnosis and the knowledge that it affects every aspect of your life (and always will) is simply mind-numbing. It contributes to feelings of despair, hopelessness and worthlessness. Shame, self-blame and guilt related to effects on others cannot be escaped by most. Anyone who has suffered an injury can identify with the emotional concerns about how one will with cope with the physical changes and limitations to come.
Highly Active Anti-Retroviral Therapy (HAART) lends hope to many, but 15-35% may not improve, others may have adverse reactions or seem to reverse course after initial improvement. Treatment-related worries, both present and future, are an added psychological burden.
The support group affords a place in time to discuss the issues and, as or more importantly, share feelings in a confidential, safe, protected setting. Led by a gifted and qualified Facilitator, it can foster intervention, create social connection and train participants to identify and manage stressors.
Group participants lend each other strength in their ongoing treatments as well as prevention efforts. They are a sympathetic audience and present not only the opportunity for supportive relationships, but the only place where everyone else is dealing with the same over-arching condition. Of equal value is shared information, including resources of all sorts, comparison of symptoms and treatments, as well as contacts for medical and other types of professional help.
Time and again, participants in The Wright House Wellness Center's HIV/AIDS Support Group attest to their improved outlook on and quality of life. Spirits are lifted. They have tools to cope with their symptoms and their feelings. They see The Wright House as a place they will never be alone.
|
|
This Is My Story continued
Within six months I went from fearing this disease would leave me completely destitute to becoming a home owner for the first time. Over the past four years I have excelled professionally, been a contributing member of my community, maintained good health, managed this disease, disclosed my status with friends and family to develop a strong support system, and for the first time in my life, am working to become a parent. So...I am passionate about the Group and keeping it going not just for myself, but for others who need this support.
Group participants get encouragement needed to adhere to medical treatment, take medications daily, attend all doctors' appointments, maintain employment and housing, and are able to build additional -and critical--support systems of friends and family by sharing our status. We continue as consumers of goods and services in our community, supporting each other through the good and the bad, staying as healthy as possible in mind and body.
As a former clinician, I know how difficult it can be to form and maintain a voluntary, community based group. The Wright House Support Group has been around for 13 years. This group works for many reasons-first and foremost, Karen Breeding, a hugely knowledgeable and skilled clinician, provides crisis intervention when needed to connect people to additional treatment, and creates a therapeutic environment for Group as a safe place for us all.
The group is diverse on many continuums-gender, sexual orientation, ethnicity, age, education, and socio-economic status, to name a few. But we share a common goal to keep each other well in spite of the disease.
It's a consistently positive and helpful place for all of us. Those recently diagnosed and new to the community come to develop emotional strength so they can go about the business of owning and managing their disease. They connect with others to learn more about resources such as the Sansing Dental Clinic, the David Powell Clinic and other nonprofit services. We come to keep from isolating and to support each other. The Group's benefits are truly amazing. I've seen members decide to further their education, start a business, stay in treatment, stay healthy, and most importantly, not spread the disease.
I thank The Wright House Wellness Center for providing life changing resources so those in the community can remain productive members of our local economy. My hope is that together, we can ensure the support group remains a viable and valuable option for those of us living with HIV/AIDS -people like me four years ago, who discover they are positive and need support to not only survive, but to thrive.
Back to Top
|
 |
|
|
|
|
