the virus, reports Keith Caesar , who today interviews the daughter of an AIDS victim in the second of a four-part series. Tomorrow: The brother of a person with AIDS tells his story. Jennecka is a living example of how people can overcome the tragedy of the AIDS epidemic. Jennecka's mother died of AIDS-related complications last year, but rather than dwell on the misfortune, the 17-year-old has taken charge of her life. She is going to university this September with the goal of becoming a doctor specialising in epidemics -- and possibly helping to find a cure for the disease which took her mother's life.

"I'm not ashamed of it, of what happened,'' she said. "It was difficult at first. When I found out, I was like, `oh man, that's not right'. "To me, it was like, `yeah this was my mother, but she's just another person'. "Then one day I got the call from the hospital saying that she did pass away.'' Jennecka would be the first to admit that she and her siblings did not have a good relationship with their mother. In a recent phone interview with The Royal Gazette , Jennecka was candid about her experience. At times she was blunt, while at other times there was a hint of excitement in her voice, even though the subject matter was very personal. An accomplished pianist and the oldest of five children, Jennecka, who celebrates her 18th birthday this year, said her mother's death was more like a friend's passing. Her siblings were too young to understand the complexities of what was going on, she said, and their mother did not have an ongoing presence in their lives. Her mother's absence eventually catapulted Jennecka's grandparents into the role of the children's real parents. She is glad because her siblings have had a family to grow up in. She added: "You look at my brothers and sisters now, they are playing around and having fun. They are going on.'' She recalled situations in the past when people, upon finding out, began to treat her differently because they knew her mother had HIV. "My personality is that I forgive because they really didn't know what was going on, we were all just kids back then,'' she said. "I would come home and complain...'' "...But they were only going on what they heard from their parents. My friends right now, from what I see, they are going through harder times then I am. They really don't know what you're going through.'' This autumn, Jennecka is leaving for university in Canada to pursue a life-long dream of becoming a doctor. She admits her chosen career has in some ways been influenced by the experiences with her mother.

"It did have an effect,'' she explained. "I had always wanted to be a doctor and found epidemiology interesting.'' To those children whose parents are living with or have died from AIDS, Jennecka offers these words: "Just keep strong and forgive those who don't really understand what's going on. "I really didn't understand. Yes, I did have a problem with it. But it wasn't until later on in high school that I began to really learn from it.'' Ultimately through her life she hopes the lives of her siblings will be enriched. "I hope they learn from my example,'' she said. "They really had no mom to look up to. I more or less have stepped into that role along with my granny.'' She is calling for her young counterparts across the Island to be diligent when making decisions. "You have to face the consequences for your actions. And if you go around having different sexual partners, then you need to have protected sex,'' she said. While many of those infected fear the social backlash that public acknowledgement of this disease can bring, Jennecka hopes that in whatever situations persons with AIDS find themselves, they should be truthful and not hide. "Anything less only hurts the rest of society,'' she said.