Children’s Tales of AIDS : Stories Are Told by 8 Youngsters Who Have HIV and Had to Learn About Life Way Too Early

Once there was a tree who wondered if the weed next to it had a virus. The weed didn’t say anything, but the tree told the other weeds. Finally, the tree made the weed really upset. The weed said, “You know, I may have a virus, but it’s not right for you to take all my friends away. Who cares if I have a virus? It’s not right!”

--From “The Tree and the Weed Virus,” by Angela, 11

Many children infected with the virus that causes AIDS keep their condition secret, fearful of being ostracized by their classmates or losing their friends.

But a small group of youngsters who have HIV, and in some cases full-blown AIDS, is speaking out through a book of short fables and fairy tales, “Friends for Life.”

The book, recently published by the nonprofit Los Angeles Pediatric AIDS Network, is written and illustrated by eight members of a juvenile support group sponsored by the network, which provides social and medical case management aid.

“Nobody at school knows,” said one of the writers, 12-year-old Geena Goldman, who became infected through a blood transfusion as an infant. Like the others interviewed for this story, she asked to be identified by a pseudonym because of the stigma attached to the condition: “I’m afraid they won’t want to be my friends anymore.”

In Geena’s story, one of five in the book, a princess and a prince fall in love, but the princess--and her newborn baby--contract AIDS from the prince, who dies. A family member eventually cures the baby and princess.

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In another piece, “The Special Princess,” a little princess with the virus takes her medicine diligently and goes on living:

Cynthia had to take medicines, but she didn’t mind because she was alive and well and healthy. She believed with all her heart that there would one day be a cure.

“Friends for Life” began as a therapeutic writing exercise more than a year ago, when Pediatric AIDS Network staff purchased make-a-book kits for the support group, which meets at Children’s Hospital of Los Angeles. The emotional depth of the stories by the children, ages 8 to 14, stunned the staff.

“We took a look at them and just said ‘Wow!’ ” recalled Marcy Kaplan, who directs the network. “We had to turn them into a collection.”

The stories reflect the feelings of anger, frustration and rejection felt by children with HIV and AIDS, but they also reflect hope.

In one, a ghost who died from AIDS unleashes his anger by haunting a house. A brave chemist cat moves into the house with a family and comes up with a cure for the ghost. In another, animals infected with HIV are picked on by a mean classmate until the school principal, a troll, makes peace among them and they become friends.

Strained from living with secrets, the parents of the young authors and artists see the book as a tremendous emotional release for their children.

“Being involved with AIDS, they know a lot of things they shouldn’t know about at this age,” said Robin Goldman, Geena’s mother. “They know all about how AIDS is passed on, like sex and drugs, things you normally wouldn’t tell a child except in vague terms. But it’s just part of the world, and they know about it.”

Said Tina Smith, whose 9-year-old daughter, Nina, provided several drawings: “I think it’s been a way of her releasing some of her anger and some of the fear and anxiety she has.” Both mother and daughter have been diagnosed with HIV.

The book includes a section on what HIV is and how it is transmitted, illustrated by the children and annotated by Mary Whalen, the former facilitator for the support group.

“People can learn about it, and learn that they can’t catch it from hugging someone or kissing someone,” said 11-year-old Nicole Lucas, who was born with HIV. “You can’t catch it just from drinking out of a cup or something.”

The Pediatric AIDS Network has distributed 100 copies of the book to local hospitals with pediatric AIDS programs and social service agencies nationwide that serve children infected with the virus. A second printing of 250 should be out by the beginning of January for distribution to hospitals nationwide.

The group’s goal is to get enough grant funding to distribute free books to all the families who come through the network.

Copies will be available to the public through the network for $20. All proceeds will go into printing more books, said Marcy Kaplan, director of the Pediatric AIDS Network.

“You see a lot written about kids and AIDS, but nothing written by kids,” she said. “Maybe it will cause someone to have second thoughts.”

More on AIDS: * A special report featuring Times stories on the search for a cure, public-health issues and the global spread of the disease is available on the TimesLink on-line service in the Nation & World section.

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