Image Credit: Adam Donnelly/CFJC Today

By Adam Donnelly

ASK WELLNESS

Kamloops man marks World AIDS Day as pandemic cuts annual event

Dec 1, 2020 | 5:29 PM

KAMLOOPS — December 1st marks World AIDS Day. It’s an opportunity to reflect on the achievements in the fight against HIV and AIDS, as well as recognize how much work still needs to be done in the fight against the virus.

Here in Kamloops, ASK Wellness has been the go-to resource for those battling AIDS and HIV. While the organization has undergone significant evolution since it began over three decades ago, it’s still committed to helping those individuals in need in Kamloops.

Dale Northcott is one of many success stories ASK Wellness has produced over the years.

“When I found out I had it, I wanted to give up,” Northcott says.

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After his diagnosis, Northcott turned to drugs and alcohol and wound up living in Vancouver’s Downtown East Side. It took a moment of personal tragedy to make him realize he needed to take an active role in his own life and his personal battle with HIV and AIDS.

“My mother passed away and I said, ‘It’s time to get your life in order,’” Northcott recalls. “A couple of days later I walked into ASK Wellness and with the help of Bob Hughes and his amazing staff, I’m here 16 years later.”

For ASK Wellness Executive Director Bob Hughes, Northcott’s story of redemption serves as an important reminder.

“I just sometimes have to remind myself of guys like Dale Northcott,” Hughes tells CFJC Today. “Running a business for seven years, owns his own home, a pillar of this community is someone who, ten years ago, wondered if he had a future in life. That’s the ethos of our organization and that’s the lesson of the HIV movement: don’t give up. People care. That and a combination of science and social justice can overcome just about anything.”

For years, ASK Wellness has held a gathering on World AIDS Day to remember those who have been lost to the disease. Due to COVID-19, that event cannot take place, much to the chagrin of longtime volunteer Cookie Reimer.

“My deal is cooking for everybody,” Reimer explains. “World AIDS Day, my biggest cookout of the year. And I include everyone. ASK Wellness — inclusion.”

Northcott says those gatherings are where you see old friends and acquaintances who shared a similar journey.

“This year it’s kind of tough,” Northcott says. “It’s sad not being able to give my friends a hug and not see their faces. It is difficult, but we’ll get through this. We’re going to beat this COVID-19 and we’ll be back here next year.”

That optimism is a perfect example of the resilience Dale Northcott has developed in nearly two decades of surviving HIV and AIDS.