Song of Hope:The Story

The Story Behind the Song of Hope
Unleashed by experiences working with HIVAIDS
Dr.Chinkholal Thangsing

The access to AIDS treatment was a distant dream just a few years ago. We don’t talk much about the ART drugs to many patients before the ‘generic anti-retroviral era’ for the drugs was mostly unavailable in India and those available through the grey market were exorbitantly costly and out of reached to the majority of people living with HIVAIDS. The life saving drugs therefore remains within the reach of only the rich living with HIV. The information and knowledge however began to disseminate which generated the tidal wave of despair and depression amongst the infected and affected for they possess the news that there’s a treatment but they couldn’t access nor afford it. Thus, it compounds the pain, sufferings, and sadness and increases the tears.

In the journey as a physician dedicated to treating and caring for people with AIDS, I have come closely in touch with countless patient and every single one of them broke my heart many times over for the tears and mournful cries longing to live just a little longer kept echoing in my mind each day. The voices of the tens of thousands are unique but collectively almost the same. I would take ‘one’ of them to stand out and represent those feelings as they so vividly and relentlessly haunt my memories as this patient cries and beg for medications so that she may live yet another day to see her daughters grow up get married and start a new family to continue the lineage of humankind. She demonstrated fierce determination and strength, filled with anger, with a tinge of fear smeared with untold sadness as she battles a losing battle against the might of the HIV virus. The profuse desire and desperation to get those ‘meds’ were her closest companion. She cried helplessly each day as her tear filled eyes closes with the silence of palpable loneliness. She knows that she stands against all odd for she knew hopelessness resigned to her faith and wait for the grave to relief her of her sufferings. The ‘meds’ arrived a few years later all too late for this brave soul.

The ‘Meds’ era – anti-retroviral drugs arrived and soon with the forces of medications the pain, hardships and sufferings melted replaced by comfort, renewed joy and hope that arrived as many lives resurrected. It is thanks to anti-retroviral that many now live a vibrant life being transformed and awarded a second birth. They are now facing the future bravely filled positive thoughts and without fear. The can now look forward to ‘tomorrow’ as we do.

The Hope song video hopes to deepen the understanding of the plight, the right, the fight and the triumph those living with HIVAIDS receiving the anti-retroviral drugs. We endeavor to awaken the slumbering minds of people through the power of song and many more would join the campaign ‘Treatment Saves Lives’ a movement spearheaded by AIDS Healthcare Foundation globally, in India through India Cares to save lives – many more lives.

This song is affectionately dedicated and to salute people living with HIVAIDS bravely facing despair, depression, hardships, untold sufferings, being stigmatized and discriminated without letting their spirits down and rising each day from the ashes stronger from strength to strength overcoming odds – to lead a second life aided by ‘meds’ with renewed joy and restored faith – singing the song of hope.

Dr. Chinkholal Thangsing Song of Hope © Chinkholal.thangsing@aidshealth.org