Being an AIDS "Buddy" is one of the hundreds of ways in which Medical Mission Sisters around the world try to be a healing presence to those in need today.

Sister Therese Hayes, who lives in downtown Philadelphia, has been in ministry for 17 years as an AIDS Buddy with ActionAIDS, the largest AIDS service organization in Pennsylvania. Sister Therese, who previously served in Ghana, says the primary responsibility of a Buddy is to identify the needs of the client, and respond to them.

"A Buddy visits with the client, does the laundry and light housework, and often takes the client to the doctor," an article in the South Philadelphia Review explains. "But more importantly, the Buddy is many times the primary caregiver and counselor, and, sadly, sometimes a liaison between the client and family members unable to cope with the situation."

When she began as a Buddy, Sister Therese recalls, "I had to face my own fear of AIDS." Remembering one distressed client who was crying, Sister Therese says, "She gave me a big hug and kiss when it was time for me to leave, and I got a mouthful of her tears. I wondered if I might accidentally get AIDS one day. No, I had learned that tears do not give AIDS. This situation helped me to decide to keep on with my AIDS work despite my fears, even as I practiced all the precautions I had been taught."

"I feel blessed by God to have gained so much knowledge and practical experience about AIDS, and I am grateful to be able to do this work," adds Sister Therese, who received her 15-year award from ActionAIDS in 2004. "For me, being a Buddy is to be a healing presence."

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