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2nd Annual ‘Walk N’ Roll To Cure Ataxia’ Planned
BY IRIS B. HOLTON Sentinel City Editor
On Saturday, February 9th, the Second Annual Tampa Bay Walk N’ Roll To Cure Ataxia will take place. The event will be held at USF Mar- shall Student Center, 4103 USF Cedar Circle, Tampa, 33620.
Registration begins at 9 a.m., the walk starts at 10 a.m., and the silent auction will take place from 10 a.m. until 12 noon.
Ms. Darlene Harris is the President of the Tampa Bay Ataxia Group. She said all pro- ceeds will benefit the National Ataxia Foundation.
A Tampa native, Ms. Har- ris is currently battling the ill- ness. She was employed with the Hillsborough County Public Library System for 32 years.
In March 2011, she was di- agnosed with Hereditary Ataxia and in August of the same year, she was diagnosed with Stiff Person Syndrome. Both ill- nesses are degenerative in dis-
MS. DARLENE HARRIS President, of Tampa Bay Ataxia Group
eases of the nervous system and there is no known cure for either.
Both diseases affect the per- son’s speech, balance, and co- ordination. As a result of her illness, Ms. Harris was forced to retire in 2013.
After retiring, Ms. Harris joined TBAG for support. She served as Vice President of the organization for 2014 and 2015. In November 2016, she
was chosen as the president. The members meet quar- terly and invite guest speakers, have social events, and
fundraisers.
As far as her personal care,
Ms. Harris began participat- ing in a trial program in April 2016 known as Plasmaphere- sis. The treatment, which re- quires hospitalization for 10 days every 3 months is similar to Dialysis, she said.
To learn more about the ill- ness, make a donation, or to join a team to walk in the event, visit the website at https://ataxia.donorpages.com /201760For60/TampaBay- AtaxiaSupportGroup.
Ms. Harris graduated from Jefferson High School and continued her education at the University of South Florida. She earned her undergraduate degree in Social Work and her Master’s Degree in Library and Information Science.
Ms. Harris can be reached by email at Msdee004@gmail.- com.
Testing For National HIV/AIDS Awareness Day Set
The Hillsborough County Health Department will offer free testing to the first 50 pa- tients on Thursday, February 7th. The testing is being offered in recognition of National Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day. The testing will take place at the University Area Health Center, 13601 N. 22nd Street, from 7:30 a.m. until 3 p.m.
The testing will be on a first- come, first-serve basis. It is pro- vided in a friendly, confidential testing, treatment, and educa- tional manner.
The testing will be available for anyone who is sexually ac- tive. Getting tested for STDs is one of the most important things a person can do to pro- tect themselves. The CDC (Cen- ter for Disease Control) recommends that all adults and adolescents between the ages of 13 and 64 should be tested at least once for HIV.
Blacks account for a higher proportion of new HIV diag- noses, those living with HIV,
and those who have ever re- ceived an AIDS diagnoses, com- pared to other ethnicities. The highest proportion of Blacks who received an HIV diagnosis in 2017 are between the ages of 20 and 29.
Pre-Exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) is available to people in an increased risk for HIV. PrEP is a pill that is taken once a day and can reduce the risk of ac- quiring HIV through sexual contact by more than 90% and through injection drug use by 70%.
For those who test positive for HIV, starting antiretroviral therapy (ART) with a provider as soon as possible improves health outcomes by reducing the risk of disease progression and reducing HIV viral load.
Persons living with HIV who take ART as prescribed and achieve and sustain an un- detectable viral load have effec- tively no risk of transmitting HIV to their HIV-negative sex- ual partners.
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