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"Living it up despite HIV"
The
Star (www.thestar.com.my)
(05/08/05)
AMPANG: Despite having HIV, Zulkifli
Maulana, 25, is determined not to let that pull him down into a rut of
depression.
The tall and lean Zulkifli oozes with confidence and poise and could even be
labelled as an epitome of “Mat Cool”.
Just by looking at him, no one would ever guess that Zulkifli has HIV, which
he contracted when he was 23.
“I want to live my life and live it to the fullest. I'm not going to let HIV
stop me from living my life.
“I am even looking forward to meeting the girl of my dreams and settling
down one day,” he said.
Zulkifli admitted that when he first found out he had the disease, he felt
depressed until he went to Persatuan Pengasih where he received motivation
from fellow members.
“I got better and more confident with their help and the help of my family.
But the stigma, although not as bad as before, is still there.
“People are still afraid of those with HIV and do not know what to do. I
know of a friend whose family isolated his food for fear of contamination,”
he said yesterday.
Determined to help change the negative perception and raise awareness about
HIV/ AIDS, Zulkilfi and two of his friends – Ismadi Idrus and Kamarudin
Idris – who also have HIV, will take part in the Riding for Life (RFL) 2005
cycling adventure next month.
The trio had previously gone on white water rafting adventures and even
climbed Mount Kinabalu.
Malaysian AIDS Council president Datin Paduka Marina Mahathir said the event
would take place from Sept 4 to 11 and would cover 620km across the
peninsula to Singapore with overnight stops in towns such as Pekan, Mersing
and Kota Tinggi.
Some 50 local and Singaporean cyclists are expected to take part in the
adventure, in which cycling enthusiasts would ride eight hours daily for
eight days to help raise awareness and RM200,000 for the Malaysian AIDS
Foundation (MAF).
“The whole adventure is incredible. Besides being a sports event, RFL also
gives us opportunities to spread awareness regarding HIV/AIDS especially to
those in rural areas.
“The whole idea is about giving hope to people, even those with HIV/AIDS so
that they have something to look forward to,” Marina told a press conference
yesterday.
She said the money raised would be used to fund programmes for children who
had been orphaned because of the disease, and the micro-loan scheme where
those with HIV/AIDS were given a RM1,000 interest free loan to start their
own business.
The event was first held in 2003.
MAF chairman Raj Kumar urged sponsors to support the event as each cyclist
needed a sponsor to donate RM2,500, of which some RM700 would cover their
basic expenditure while the rest would go to the fund.
“The highlight of the event would be the launch on Sept 4 at Menara KL
followed by a one-day family carnival and exhibition on HIV/AIDS,” he said.
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