The Foreign Service Journal, July-August 2010

A F S A N E W S 72 F OR E I GN S E R V I C E J OU R N A L / J U L Y - A UGU S T 2 0 1 0 F or a middle-aged Zambian woman, Joyce moved with sur- prising agility as she chased my friend Mildred around the yard with an umbrella. I had always thought of Joyce as a kind personwith a gentle soul. But at thatmoment, she appeared to have lost hermind. As I later learned, that was exactly the case. The macrophages in her brain were secreting deadly toxins and slowly destroying her neural tissue. AIDSdementia had takenover. During the 12 years I lived in sub-SaharanAfrica, this image stands out inmy mind as a moment that transformedmy perception of Africa, medicine and disease. That afternoon, at 11years of age, Iwas involuntarilydrafted into medical service. My brother was nowhere to be found, who was ourdomestic employee, andmymotherwasout. Somy father asked me tohelp take Joyce to thehospital. I agreed, on the condition that we disarm her. Joyce and I sat in the back of the car as my father drove to the clinic. She stared at me blankly, and I realized that although I had known her for five years, she no longer recognized me. Suddenly, out of nowhere, she hitme! Shocked, I didn’t know how to react, so I simply pretended it hadn’t happened. When we arrived at the clinic, she became even more agitat- ed and wouldn’t sit down. Instead, she sang and danced uncon- trollably. The baby next to me started to cry as Joyce continued her chaotic routine. After calming Joyce down, a kind nurse took her blood sample and filled out a card. She placed the card on top of a pile of hundreds of similar cards. In that instant, Joyce became another horrifying statistic: she was HIV-positive. Since Joyce could no longer care for herself, shemoved inwith her brother, who also cared for the four children of their deceased sister. As I said goodbye to the shell of a woman I once knew, I doubted I would ever see her again. From that day forward, I began to see my surroundings in a new light. The gravityof Joyce’s situation floodedmyworld. Before, on my daily bus ride to and from school, I had passed a grave- yardwithout noticing. Now, almost everyday of theweek, I noticed a funeral commemorating yet another AIDS victim. In time, the graveyard ran out of space, and the funeral processions proceed- ed a half mile further up the road to the cemetery extension. As our family prepared to leave Zambia in the summer of 2006, I was astonished to see Joyce return, seemingly from the dead, to wishus goodbye. Her transformationwas unfathomable. She had returned to her old gentle self. The antiretroviral drugs that the clinic had given her after our visit worked phenomenally. I con- sider Joyce’s recovery amiracle ofmodernmedicine. Science pro- vided Joyce an umbrella. Academically, this experience hasmotivatedme to explore the broad interactions among humans, disease, the natural environ- ment and public health. When I enteredmynewU.S. high school, I selected the global ecologymagnet programinorder to look at the links between human actions, science and the environment. This past summer, I took a course at BrownUniversity studying the epi- demiology of exotic diseases, including AIDS. For three periods a day duringmy senior year, I interned at a veterinary clinic in order to explore animal diseases, their responses and available cures. My experience growing up overseas has definitely shaped my priorities and my interests. It has presented me with some fasci- nating encounters, as well as some very unsettling and desperate situations. Through Joyce, inparticular, I learned about the power of science, of human support systems, and of thewill to fight back. When most people see an umbrella, they see gloomy weather and despair. But for me, an umbrella symbolizes hope and the power of human ingenuity and compassion. ❏ Marlene Haggblade will be attending Pomona College in the fall, and plans to major in biology with the intention of becoming a veterinarian. She has lived in Bangladesh, Madagascar, Zambia and Maryland, and enjoys play- ing soccer and lacrosse. 2010 AFSA MERIT AWARDS “BEST ESSAY” Joyce’s Umbrella BY MARLENE HAGGBLADE Dear Colleagues: The American Foreign Service Association Political Action Committee, created in 2002, continues to raise AFSA’s profile on CapitolHill. It isoneof the legislative toolsusedtoadvanceour agen- da, helping tosolve theoverseas comparabilitypay issueandtosecure importantfundingforourforeignaffairsbudgets. AFSA-PACensures thatwe have a “seat at the table” and allows us todrawgreater atten- tion to our issues. In2009,AFSA-PACraised$24,575, downfromthe$29,000mark we reached inboth2008and2007. Of our 405donors, over 80per- cent were retired members, and 13 percent donated from overseas posts. Unfortunately, the averagedonation, $60.70, was downa full dollar from 2008. We understand the fiscal realities faced by all of our colleagues; andwewill, as always, utilize the resources youdonate as effectively as possible. All donations to the PAC are voluntary, and no AFSA dues are used for political contributions. We contin- uetoensurestrictcompliancewithfederalandlocalelectionlawsgov- erning our activities. During2009,AFSA-PACcontributed$18,000toourcongressional supporters’ re-election efforts. Our focus continues to remain on theappropriatingandauthorizingcommitteeswith jurisdictionover ForeignServicemanagement issues, ForeignService staffingandgen- eral foreign affairs matters. We enjoy good relations with key deci- sion-makers at the highest levels in both parties, andwe also look to expand our cultivation effort to include new faces. As we implement AFSA’s legislative agenda in 2010, we are con- fidentthatAFSA-PACwillcontinuetogivetheForeignServiceagreater voice. We are one of the precious few mechanisms solely focused onissuesaffectingouractive-dutyandretiredcolleagues. Ourimpact has been cumulative, and we continue striving on your behalf. Respectfully submitted, Thomas D. Boyatt, Treasurer ❏ FY 2009 AFSA-PAC Treasurer’s Report