Patricia Watson, Features Coordinator
IAN ALLEN, Staff Photographer -
Ian McKnight at home during an interview with The Gleaner.
EVERYONE IN his community in Bamboo, St. Ann, knew that this young man was destined to serve and it was no surprise when he began training for the priesthood. But God had other plans for this diminutive young man who looms large in the eyes of persons living with or affected by HIV/AIDS and the society in general.
"I was 100 per cent sure I would be a priest. I went to the Roman Catholic seminary in Montego Bay and spent two years and another three years in Kingston. My first degree was in theology. They were five extremely fruitful years of my life and if I had my life to live over, I would do it again," Ian McKnight told The Gleaner.
Near the end of his studies, McKnight explained that he was having conflicts as to whether the priesthood was for him as he was not convinced a life of celibacy was for him. Born in 1966, McKnight was only 25 years old and in the fifth year of study to enter the priesthood when the "big buck up", as he calls it, occurred.
"(In 1991) I knew very little about HIV, when one of my friends told me he wanted to bring some food for a friend who was ill. I went along only because he was my friend and as I entered, I immediately left the food there. Like everybody, I was afraid of AIDS. I, however, watched my friend Joseph change this man and was astounded by it. At the end of the visit, I found out that the guy was only 25 years old like myself.
INITIAL INVOLVEMENT
"I was sexually active and knew nothing about HIV/AIDS. I was a teacher at the time and the young man asked me to write a letter for him. Helping him in this way was not out of my character, so I gladly wrote the letter."
McKnight explained that for his own benefit, he began to learn as much as he could about HIV/AIDS and quickly he began to warm to the young stranger his friend had so lovingly cared for. He and his friend would take things like soap and food from their home for the young man. They soon realised that they would need more help to care for him and so they decided to hold a fundraiser. On the night of the event, the young man died, but from his death rose the dream and hope of hundreds of persons living with HIV/AIDS the Jamaica AIDS Support (JAS).
"I never thought this would have been something I would be involved in over such a long period," McKnight explained with much humility. It was not a smooth journey, he will tell you, but still, he is happy he decided to give up the priesthood and other lucrative jobs to serve a group of people who many Jamaicans still feel are not worth supporting.
"The first years were very rough. People were scared of HIV and it was tough getting people, especially companies, to help. I remember one particular high-profile company which, when we sent a letter to them asking for support, called us and told us never to send any more letters to them. A few years later, they called for assistance when a member of their staff became infected.
"Over the years, some things still remain the same. For instance, after
13 years (since JAS started), the same suffering continues, the alienation remains and institutions still continue to operate in the same way. Hospitals still continue to isolate persons infected and only when certain sisters such as Sisters Parnell and Russell are on wards, we can expect that persons infected are taken care of."
Another challenge noted by this champion in the HIV/AIDS struggle is the Jamaican society's inability to understand that HIV/AIDS is something we, as a nation, have to deal with. He noted, however, that there are communities from which Jamaica can learn. He points to an inner-city community where a mother of several children died, because of AIDS, five years ago. Today, it is the community that cares for the children, sends them to school and church, buys them food and clothing and takes them to the hospital when they are ill. The community pays the utility bills for the house the children live in. The community does this because they say the children belong to them and they will not allow them to be taken to any children's home.
One incident that McKnight holds dear is that of an inner-city community where the residents clamoured to have a young man who was infected, removed from the area.
REACTIONS FROM COMMUNITIES
"When we arrived, we saw the guy and he told us all what was happening. Christine (English), who was with me at the time, sat on the guy's bed while she spoke to him and all the people gathered inside the house and wanted to know if it was all right to sit on the bed and to touch him. They wanted to know if they could use the same bathroom and generally asked questions about HIV. At the end of the day, they said he could stay and they took care of the young man. It is stories like these that keep me going."
Those close to McKnight know how far he has come since 1991 when he met the first person living with HIV/AIDS. The young man who was afraid to touch the HIV-infected young man is no more. Today, his hands-on attitude has earned him the respect of many. McKnight practises what he preaches and insists on the employment of infected persons in the organisation. He has also welcomed the infected and affected in his home and family.
"I believe children should be fostered and not institutionalised. I do believe this and so whenever there are opportunities like that, I will give them the opportunity."
McKnight is the proud father of four children who needed to experience what a family was like. His work among HIV-positive people, a very marginalised group, has significantly enhanced his life, Ian said:
"It is a sector that is hard to leave, to turn my back on it is hard. I can't leave this sector of work now. For me, the biggest thing is people's lives. I
see myself intimately wrapped up in people's lives. It is more of a learning experience for me," he said.
POOR HOSPICE CARE
One of McKnight's greatest annoyances in terms of the care of persons infected by HIV/AIDS is that of hospice care in Jamaica.
"I am not comfortable with hospice care in Jamaica. They are not allowed to be individuals in their own rights. JAS operated a hospice for nine years. The idea was to help people to feel that they were in their homes. I believe hospice care should be enhancing life and not enhancing death and that is what is
happening today. Hospices must be respites for persons needing care and should not be operated as holding areas before they die. This does not help.
"I have the greatest respect for Dare to Care (AIDS hospice operated by Mustard Seeds charity). I was opposed to it, but they have done extremely well. I really have a lot of respect for them."
His greatest challenge since he co-founded JAS has been the organisation's capacity to inspire hope among a group of persons whose situation seemed hopeless.
He tells the story of a 54-year-old single mother who spent her whole life working to support her children. When she contracted HIV, the same children put her out of the house she built for them. He said the woman could not understand why the children would treat her that way as her whole life was spent ensuring that they went to the best schools and wanted nothing. She loved the children; they were her life and now that they turned their backs on her. She had no reason to live. He notes that JAS is for people like her.
"JAS helps people to believe, to hold on to life despite the fact that there are so many other things that force them not to," he noted.
Over the years, the JAS and Ian McKnight became synonymous. "I am very proud of the achievements. I think it is the feeling of a builder who does not get to enjoy what he has built. Now that I have taken a back seat, I feel a great sense of pride in what we have been able to do. In the region, we are well respected and we have been able to share our experiences abroad."
