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A mother's journal - Former Dennison woman writes about her son's battle with AIDS
By RYAN KARP, T-R Staff Writer
What began as a journal to cope with the pain of her son's death has turned into a personal story of a mother's love in a book written by former Dennison resident Joan Thomas Nelson.
Thomas Nelson, who is a 1958 graduate of Dennison High and lived in Tuscarawas County from 1951 through 1982, shares the story of her son, King, who died when he was 33 from complications from the HIV/AIDS virus in 1996.
Her book, "Before, During and After AIDS: A Mother's Love and Memories" was published in February. King was a 1980 graduate of Claymont High.
"I wrote to ease the pain of losing (King) to the virus," said Thomas Nelson.
It wasn't until the fifth anniversary of her son's death that Nelson, now a resident of Hamilton County, Fla., began to review what she wrote and finished the manuscript. Her book was published for free by Publish America.
Nelson said her son was diagnosed with AIDS in the early 1990s, but probably contracted it in the early 1980s.
"He did not have any of the expected signs or what people think AIDS looks like," said Thomas Nelson. "People in general think that everyone who has this virus looks frail and sickly for years, but this is not always true. It can take 10 years before you would have any symptoms caused by the virus. This is why testing is so important."
Nelson said she wrote the book to tell other people about the fear and discrimination that follow an AIDS diagnosis and that the book is of international and national interest because the disease is a worldwide concern.
"People do not have to agree with the way other people live their lives," said Thomas Nelson. "People should accept someone without prejudice. I think there are a lot of parents who could read this book and maybe understand more about their children be it that they are gay, lesbian, heterosexual, etc."
Nelson has two other children, Ivory and Lori. Both live in Florida. She is a retired teacher.
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