Starting in early 1994, I worked for my first-ever newspaper, The Northern Student, the student newspaper at Bemidji State University, where I attended and received my bachelor's degree in mass communication. Over three years, I would be a staff writer, news editor, managing editor and editor. I wrote everything from news stories to feature stories to sports stories to opinion pieces. It was the greatest training ground a journalist could ever have, and I am grateful to the many talented people I worked alongside in my years at The NS.
Feb. 8, 1995
Devlyn Brooks
News Editor
More than 70 people crowded into the 2A Oak Hall lounge. Some stand because there are not enough chairs. Those who are sitting are in a semicircle. Some are quiet, thinking. Others are friendly, boisterous. However, they all are waiting for the same person ... Nate.
Nate looks like your average, 4-year-old boy. He is wearing little, black cowboy boots and pants that have vertical, white and aqua stripes on the legs. Completing his outfit are white shirt and a tiny, blue and aqua cardigan sweater. He has blonde hair that is parted to the right, which seems transparent enough to show his scalp.
His skin is pale, and he blushes easily. He has a cherubic smile, and he enjoys playing with his toy gun; a toy which his mother doesn't approve. He enjoys suckers. Nevertheless, Nate is different than many of his 4-year-old peers.
Nate was born HIV positive.
Nate is the foster brother of BSU senior Brad Settles and has entertained BSU students three times. The first time was in September 1994. Settles had asked his parents, Leon and Charlee of Red Wing, if they minded speaking to a few Resident Assistants about the HIV virus and AIDS.
Unknown to his parents, however, Brad had spread the news about the program by word of mouth. When Brad's parents showed up there were about 40 people waiting to see Nate, and hear their message.
"We thought it was supposed to be for just the RAs," said Leon. "We were surprised at the number of people who showed up."
The second time Nate spoke was last spring when BSU observed an informal "AIDS Awareness Week." Nate and his parents spoke to about 200 students in the Crying Wolf Room. "Nate was a hit. He even got his picture on the front page of the Bemidji paper," Leon said.
Nate entertained BSU, again, for the third time Tuesday night. While Nate played and caroused in the northeastern corner of the 2A Oak Hall lounge, his parents presented sobering information about AIDS and HIV to the previously jovial, now straight-faced, group of students.
"I'm not an expert on AIDS and HIV," Leon said to the group. "I'm an expert on prevention."
"It's easy to fall into a doom and gloom attitude when talking about AIDS," he said. "But we like to focus on education and safer sex." He said he talks about safer sex, not safe sex, because even condoms are not 100 percent effective.
"AIDS is a behavioral disease. Basically, if you do not have sex with somebody who is infected or do not share intravenous needles, you won't get it," Leon said.
Most of his portion of the program consists of providing the audience with facts that he has gleaned from the Center for Disease Control in Atlanta.
"How many know someone with AIDS?" A few people raised their hands. "National statistics say that by the year 2000, everybody will directly know someone infected with AIDS. Also by 2000, 13 million women will be infected worldwide. AIDS is the leading cause of death for Americans ag 25 to 44," Leon said.
Leon also promoted the use of condoms.
"My wife and I are Christian people, and we don't condone sex outside of marriage. But it would be stupid of me to talk to college and high school kids and pretend sex doesn't happen. If you are going to have sex, use a condom," he said.
He paid particular attention to the female students in the crowd.
"I was your age in the 60s, and the boys would say just about anything to get what they wanted from a girl. I'm sure the boys today are much the same way. (Protection) is going to be up to you girls."
According to Leon, a leading AIDS researcher in Minnesota has said the safest brand of condoms is made by Trojan and comes in a green box. He said, "Under normal conditions, it's almost impossible for an HIV virus to pass through any good condom. If it does, the condom was too old." He said, according to a Food and Drug Administration test in 1992, "even the worst condom is 10,000-fold better than unprotected sex."
Brad's mother, Charlee, spoke more explicitly about Nate's condition, and provided specific information concerning the disease itself.
She said that she and Leon had been taking care of foster children for a while when they received a call asking if they would accept a baby that was possibly HIV positive. "We had two days to learn everything we could about HIV and AIDS," she said. "Our kids had been learning about it in school," and they learned a lot through the library and community health nurse. So they said, yes. "Two days later, Nathan was plopped in our doorway."
Nate had contracted HIV from his biological mother, and when the Settles first started caring for Nate, he had a prognosis of living 18 months. Nate is now 4 years old. The Settles said they are optimistic because there is a boy in New Jersey born HIV positive who is 17 years old. Other children born HIV positive are now 8 to 9 years old.
"The first year we lived in a panic situation. I had rubber gloves and antibacterial soap in every room of the house. I also had wipettes in every one of my coats. I read every book about death and dying I could. Every day we talked about what we were going to do, and how we were going to handle it," said Charlee.
Then a friend of theirs, who has full-blown AIDS, changed their lives, said Charlee. "He said, 'Death is boring. AIDS and dying are boring. Life is exciting.'" From that day on, she said, they have tried to stay positive. That is why every time they go for Nate's checkups they go somewhere fun afterward, like Camp Snoopy. "He's associated the checkups with something fun now," she said. "He's just a trooper."
Leon closed his half of the program telling the crowd the importance of communication. "I believe communication is the best way to prevent AIDS. Education and safe sex are important, but communication is the key."
"Sex was great in the 60s. Sex is still great in the 90s, but believe me, it's not worth dying for," concluded Leon.
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