European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - May 13, 1987, Darmstadt, Hesse Agazine children living on borrowed time by Jerry Schwartz associated press his is Alicia s poem i was born. My Mommy carried me i was is ing in the stroller. My grandma carried the lads Are All there except lha Alicia s Mommy gave her More than life she gave her aids. And now through 4-year-old eyes Alicia looks Back at a Hope titled infancy and Forward to a scant future. But like her friends at Bronx municipal Day care Center in now York the Only Day care facility m fhe United states lot Emden suffering from acquired immune deficiency syndrome Alicia romps and Playa sings and writes poetry. This is a place for Mickey mouse watches not death watches. We put exclamation Points on everything says Terry Weissman. 45, the Center s executive director. We Don t think doom and gloom. We think positively about what we can do to make his Quality time for a i def fifteen children aged 14 months to 7 years arrive each weekday to spend six hours at the Cen Lef. All contracted aids prenatally from their mothers none has died since the Center opened in june Hui Only three still live with their biological parents. The rest were either orphaned by Nifte disease or abandoned. Nationwide 473 cases of aids had been reported in children younger than 13 by mid april of which 305 had did according to Chuck Raftis at he Federal centers for disease control eighty percent were infected in the womb. These were the children the City had in mind when its health and hospitals corp established Tho Day care Center in an old tuberculosis Wing of 1he Bronx municipal Hospital Center. The investment for fhe first year was $400,000, enough to pay the staff and renovate the facilities there is no charge to Tho children s families the Wing is a cheery place tilled with Leys Hooks and pint sized tables and chairs. The Walls Are covered with he kids artwork and charts created by teachers to list birthdays favorite colors and Best loved foods. There Are also photographs of gowned children alien during their periodic under each picture the teachers have transcribed comments irom the patient s classmates. It s Maria 6-year-old Kenneth told Hia teacher. She s in the Hospital. They be go a to in there. It works. I was in the Hospital. I was in Jacob Hospital there were babies there doctors and nurses i watched to. Play with toys. I Ned. I was sad in the Hospital. I wanted to go to tie in kids need a lol of opportunities to play of the Crown feelings about their medical conditions says Weissman. The children read books about handling real and imagined fears in each room is a Little doctor s bag containing toy stethoscopes and other instruments. When the children arrive at 9 a.m., they Are examined by a Leal doctor those with fever and rashes Are pieced in b sick Bay those with More serious ailments Ere taken to an emergency to Tom the jest embark on a Day that is remarkable Only in its . The children play and eat and rest and then begin again. Quotel and Active times alternate. One recent afternoon teacher Gary Fishman 33, sat with his charges and turned he pages of the Beren Slem boars end the spooky old tree while a recorded voice told the Story. Than the children and their teachers Sang. Here we or. Arye Rute Atteln examines a Young child at Albert Einstein College. He tits b�atads2chbdrsn with aids Are together of hero to Are together of Here we Are together sitting on the then with a glee special to children offered an Opportunity to make noise with impunity they raised a clamor with rhythm instruments. The children sometimes grow lived they re More prone f
