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Saturday, Dec. 1, 2012 | 2:02 a.m.
Twenty-one years ago, on Nov. 7, 1991, America was jolted with the news that basketball legend Magic Johnson had contracted HIV and would immediately retire from the sport. Almost immediately, Johnson began taking the antiretroviral drug AZT, and his health quickly improved. Just three months later, Johnson returned to basketball to play in the 1992 All-Star Game, where his performance earned him the MVP award. Johnson’s fans and supporters were delighted by his triumphant return. And through Johnson’s experience, mainstream America began to understand that HIV infection was no longer an automatic death sentence but a largely treatable, chronic condition. ...
Dr. Sam Ho, M.D., is UnitedHealthcare’s chief medical officer.
Dr. Ho, I opine your concerns now, after 20 years of postive progress, are prompted by Obamacare. You know as well as we that there will be government limts on dollars and funding that will be available for AIDS and AIDS sufferers. This will hurt not help.
CarmineD
PART ONE
WHEN AN AID'S PATIENT IS GIVEN NO TREATMENT
In reply to Dr. Sam Ho; thank you for writing a very good article. I was always very happy that Magic Johnson's life was saved. But, there was a close friend of mine back in the early 1990's that never got any type of progressive treatment in his bout with AIDS. Thank you for providing me an opportunity to repost this true story of a dear friend of mine who died of AIDS. The way my friend died, was a true stain on America's principals.
A SILENCED CONSPIRACY
In the olden days of prisons, felonies being committed were normal daily occurrences behind the walls, fences and razor wire of our penal institutions. And not just by inmates, but some prison guards, and some management, as well.
This is the story of Cedric P. He was once my partner and best friend. Back then, he was not in the norm of a typical "old school" looking prison guard. Cedric was Afro-American, intelligent, hardworking, well groomed, and had a gleaming personality. Cedric was an actual product of a battle that I had waged against some other powerful, influential and unified prison staff. The process of new management hiring minorities was certainly not met with open arms from a significant portion of tenured "old school" prison employees. These same employees, through their legal representative, filed a "reverse discrimination" lawsuit against management's fresh hiring practice. This lawsuit was not to be heard from within the judicial system.
Cedric and I worked together for the next several months. We were the perfect team. My respect for Cedric went much further than just that of my partner at the prison. He was a loyal and dedicated husband and a devoted father to his two young toddlers.
PART TWO
Then hard economic times hit. Layoffs were inevitable for most, if not all of the newly hired prison staff. That was, unless the tenured staff voted to reject a previously approved four percent pay increase. The result of that employee vote was not surprising. The new officers, with little or no seniority were expendable in the eyes of the majority of the "old school" and tenured prison staff.
I could tell Cedric was heartbroken. However, Cedric was presented another opportunity as a prison guard if he should be willing to relocate to a rural area where a newly built prison was experiencing staffing problems.
Cedric and I discussed this offer that management in the personnel division had offered him. Cedric was all for it. I was against this move. I advised Cedric that relocating to this area would be most likely putting not only himself, but his family in potential danger. I believed I had sufficient reasonable cause to make this allegation against the suspected racial prejudice practices of this particular township.
I remember telling Cedric, "This Township is not ready for an Afro-American man to live there, much less, your wife being Caucasian and your children being of mixed ethnicity."
Cedric rejected my advice by stating, "I'm not scared of anyone. No one will keep me from supporting my family." A tactful argument ensued between the two of us. Before I knew it, Cedric, his wife and children were gone to their new location. There had been no goodbyes.
The next eight months had passed by. I had heard nothing from Cedric. At this point I had to assume that Cedric and his family were doing well at their new location. And, that I had been wrong in my contention about this township.
PART THREE
Several months later, I walked into the muster room, as normal, to check-in with my supervisor and receive my post assignment for the day. I felt a tap on my shoulder. I turned around, and it was Cedric. I almost didn't recognize him. Cedric had lost a great deal of weight. His skin was now crusted and flaking. His face was gaunt. He looked terrible, and very sick.
I listened as my supervisor told Cedric he could not work the prison yard. However, Cedric was assigned to a perimeter guard tower where he would have no staff or inmate contact. I wondered, "Just what in the world is going on here?"
Cedric and I walked out of the muster room together. Cedric was not physically able to climb the multi-tiered stairs in reaching the top of the tower. I put Cedric over my shoulder like a slinky and carried him to the top of his tower post. This was repeated for the next several weeks until Cedric became too sickly to even make the drive to work. Two days later I was informed that Cedric had been admitted to the AIDS ward in a local community hospital. I went to see Cedric.
I knew the moment I saw Cedric, at best, he only had a few days of his life remaining. I asked Cedric if he desired to give me a "death bed statement". Cedric replied in a now slightly slurred and docile toned voice, "Yes, I would."
The following is Cedric's death bed statement that I recall from memory and had taken notes on;
"I was working in the lockdown unit. The other officers would have nothing to do with me. You were right. Most everyone up there hated me, just because I was black. A call came over the radio that a white supremacist gang fight was taking place down on one of the cell blocks during exercise time. I was responding to the scene on foot with three other officers. However, when I arrived at the scene, all the other officers had disappeared. The inmates dragged me over to a cell door where the food flap popped open. The inmate inside this cell grabbed hold of my arm and pulled it through the food flap. He slit my arm with a syringe. The inmate then let me go. All of the other inmates in the exercise rotunda had disappeared too. Electronically, from the officer's unit control panel, all cell doors were now secured. I really had no idea as to the identities of the inmates who initially attacked me, other than that they were all Caucasian. My arm was bleeding profusely. No one would help me. On my own, I got down to the institutional infirmary. The on-duty nurse began treatment. I filed the entire required incident and on the job injury reports. It was a short time later I got very sick. My request to draw workman's compensation benefits was denied. Prison management determined that my sickness was not that of an inmate attack from an AIDS infected syringe. Their contention was that my sickness was derived from that of a promiscuous lifestyle."
PART FOUR
I had heard rumors from the prison "grapevine", that the practices of "wife swapping" were commonplace in the community of the rural prison where Cedric had originally been transferred to. However, I have never attained any creditable proof to substantiate this.
Moments before Cedric had passed away, I gave him my word that I would do everything that is within legal reason to bring those to justice who were either directly involved, and or those that played a supporting role in this alleged attack. However, the days, weeks, months, years, and now, approaching the two decade mark are about to pass with still, no conclusive evidence. Although I have in the past made contact with several staff witnesses who worked at this rural prison at the time of the unproven attack on Cedric. They each supported Cedric's claims, but refused to say anything on the record for fear of reprisals. Ironically, each of these potential witnesses resigned their career positions and overnight, seemingly vanished.
Without doubt the "stonewallers" have won all the dispositions in the Officer Cedric P. saga. Even though murder has no statute of limitations, I've given up on the utterly hopeless venture to obtain admissible evidence. Some years ago, I attempted to bargain with prison management in only asking that Cedric's death as an officer be reflected as, "His life was lost in the line of duty". This request was firmly denied by prison management.
I only had one wish left. That Cedric's story is heard in a public forum. Once again, thank you Dr. Ho for working so diligently in saving those with this horrible disease and ensuring that every AID's patient has a chance at life. I think about Cedric every day of my life. I miss him so much. The world should miss him too. Cedric was a wonderful man.
In reaction to Bradley Chapline's account of a public servant, Cedric P., my heart is both saddened and my mind is outraged. Few people in our society bother to hear such accounts, and ponder the rammifications. No good ever comes from hatred. Anyone who doesn't comfortably fit or comform into the small world picture and perceptions of those who unjustly judge others are all too often persecuted, emmotionally and physically harmed, bullied, harrassed, forced to move locations, shunned, and gossiped about. To further aggrevate this problem, the people at the top, feel that it's not their problem, so they put the issue into the hands of those below them in supervision, those who are most often a part of the problem, to "deal with it." Then what results is the type of "fate" Bradley's dear friend, Cedric P., suffered at the hands of those who deemed themselves "blameless" in the situation.
Humanity has not evolved much when it comes to compassion. If the lives of human beings were judged by some super computers of justice, I wonder what the outcome would be, based solely on facts.
In the last few decades, great strides have been made in identifying, treating, and managing HIV and AIDS, and I truly appreciate Dr. Ho's article bringing attention to this. I am blessed to have a doctor who has a well-rounded career, and whose practice includes the compassionate care of those with HIV and AIDS. She has conversed with me about the behaviors she has witnessed while working in the prison system, and this confirms Bradley's story as well. Believe it!
Blessings and Peace,
Star
In reply to "Star"; I knew if anyone understood the story about Cedric that you would, "Star".
I've been to every government official possible. I've been to every news agency and journalist possible. The results have been that Cedric P. does not matter. After twenty years since his horrific death, Cedric's soul still cannot rest in peace. Why? What is the problem here in bringing justice where it is warranted? An Afro-American was murdered by means of a hate crime. A state peace officer was murdered in the line of duty by racist thugs who were backed and supported by corrupt state government officers.
When it comes to Cedric, our government and many of its employees has virtually violated every moral and ethical act there is, and still, all have walked free.
I once stood in front of a filled to capacity staff meeting hall to speak just several years after Cedric's death. I could see the "flames of guilt" in many eyes of the audience as I stated, "All of you, whether involved as a co-conspirator, a witness, a knowledgeable supporter, or as a state government official should pray every day for the rest of your lives that there is no God to answer to on the time of your individual death and "Judgment Day". For, if there should be a God to answer too, justice will finally be served for Cedric. I hope all of you that this would apply to enjoy your afterlife in eternal damnation. You all certainly have this Godly conviction coming!