"Is that like AIDS?"

Today is World AIDS Day. I used to work in an AIDS org. This day was once a huge deal to me.

Right now, though, I feel pretty bitter about the whole thing.

Once upon a time, I used AIDS as a way to explain my immune deficiency. Those days have passed since it seems that no one can understand that, no, I don't have AIDS, and no, what I do have is not communicable. Hell, I probably won't even give it to my kids.

It frustrates me now that I'm older and understand the system a little better because AIDS makes PIDDs less visible and siphons away a lot of research money and immune system attention. there have been major developments in AIDS in the past 30 years. Not so much with PIDDs. The latest and greatest development for us is adding a tissue expander to the sub-q administration method. This is hardly a treatment breakthrough, I'm sorry.

Furthermore, there will be a cure for AIDS in my lifetime. There won't be one for PIDD. There might be a better treatment option available, which is my hope, but they don't even understand the mechanism enough to even begin knocking on the door of a cure. It's sad, but true.