November 5, 2008
Bela Stewart
Bela Stewart is gorgeous. Those beautiful eyes, that fabulous smile, her friendly laugh. At Heartland CARES, she's a caring case manager. Among friends and family, she's Princess Bela. And she's got her own signature cocktail to prove it!Bela Stewart, you are cute, cute, cute, no doubt about it! Bela! Look at you! DARLING!
Thank you! That's sweet.
Well, I mean it. DAR-LING! What brought you to Paducah?
A guy. A guy who moved here for a job. That was three years ago. I'd just graduated from Baylor University in Waco, Texas.
Oh, great school! What's your degree in?
I have a BS degree in Education focusing on Pre Med and Health Science Studies.
Rock on!
Yeah, but after graduation I was living at home in Arlington, Texas, which was horrible. I was so bummed about it. So I decided to move up to Paducah with my boyfriend, and I liked it.
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| Bela with cutie Kendra Thompson. |
No, that didn't work out. He moved to Arkansas for another job. But I liked it so much here, I decided to stay.
How great! I'm glad we got to keep you!
Me, too. I'm not sorry about it. I think I was supposed to be here.
Really? What do you mean?
I'd gotten so used to trying to control everything, and when I realized I couldn't, I decided to slow down and calm down. And Paducah is a great place to do that. I love my job and I love my friends. So this worked out perfectly.
Tell us about your job.
I'm a case manager at Heartland CARES. I started there as a volunteer and was there practically every day anyway. Eventually, they hired me as the volunteer advocate to train and educate others to volunteer. And when the case manager job opened, I was really excited.
What do you do as a case manager?Patients who test positive for HIV can enroll in our care program if they'd like. The clinic has a medical staff, we can help patients get medication and get their medication paid for, we connect them with community resources and we offer nutrition counseling. If there's anything anyone with HIV needs, we're here to help.
How many clients do you see?
Personally, I see about 40, and there are other case managers who have their own caseload. But Heartland CARES has about 700 clients from all of Western Kentucky, Southern Illinois, some come from Missouri and we have a few coming from Tennessee.
The care providers meet twice a week to discuss the clients we've seen and to talk about the clients we're about to see. It requires a lot of documentation, which can be a little tedious. But we're doing great things, and we always remember why we're doing it — to serve patients.
And it's not just gay men that you see, is it?
No, not at all. About half of our patients are men and half are women. HIV and AIDS touch every demographic. People will come to the clinic that you stereotypically would never think would be clients. We see husbands, wives, children. It's not just gay men. In fact, young black women are at the highest risk now.
Wow, does that scare you?
Well, I am single and I am out there. It's hard not to take it personally.
But when you think about it, everyone is at risk. People will say they don't need testing because they're married or they're in a relationship or they're too old.
None of those are reasons not to get tested. Married women get it. Adults over 50 are a rapidly growing group of newly diagnosed HIV patients. We just all have to be safe.
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| Keith Fritz and John Romang share a little love. |
And get tested regularly. The good news today is that with the proper medication, people with HIV can have a normal life expectancy.
You all have an event coming up, right?
Yes, on Monday, December 1, which is World AIDS Day, we're having an event called Rouge. It's an art auction with some amazing desserts. It's 7-10 p.m., at Madison Hall. It's a celebration of life, and to acknowledge the people who are both infected and affected by HIV. If anyone is interested in tickets, they can contact me and I’ll direct them to the people in charge.
Rock on! I'll be there! Bela, you are so awesome! What do you do when you're not working?
When I'm not working or out with friends, I sleep. I love to have friends come over. I read anything that catches my interest. I was a 14-year-old girl for a month and read all the Twilight Series. Actually, it took just two weeks.
I see you out with the 20/30 Group — you've got a great circle of friends. How did you get involved with that?
I heard about the group at a Chamber Power in Partnership breakfast when it was first starting. Keith Fritz lived in my apartment building, too, and he was always after me to show up for Mix@6 and First Fridays. So he really helped me get connected with people.
He's so awesome. He's in San Francisco now.
I know, I miss him.
Me too! Now I am loving that you have your own signature drink at Di Fratelli.Yes, Brian Steffen makes it for me — it's called the Princess Bela.
Tell us how he makes it.
Well, here are the ingredients:
- Captain Morgan's Spice Rum, half shot
- Malibu Coconut Rum, half shot
- Bacardi Rum, full shot
- Pineapple, orange and splash of cranberry juice
Excellent! How did you get the nickname Princess Bela?
Well, doesn’t every woman want to be treated like a princess?
Oh yeah, baby. Absolutely! Speaking of which, tell us about your love life!
I'm not looking for anything too serious. I’m not against the idea of a long-term relationship, but simple companionship suits me just fine right now.
What kind of a fella are you looking for?
I want someone who's honest — and he has to be funny. Creative, attentive. I love music and movies, so it would be nice to share that with someone.
What kind of music do you like?I like everything but polka!
And you're so gorgeous — you want someone totally handsome…
Well, nice looking but not too good looking. Really good-looking men make me uncomfortable.
Why?
Because they never had to work for a relationship. Beautiful men are never challenged, so if you fail to acquiesce immediately, they don’t know how to handle it.
I dunno, Bela. I think it's hard to find the right person no matter what you look like. I totally think you should date a beautiful man. They need love too!
Nope. No way.
Hah! I know you're close to your family, aren't you?
Very close. I visit them about twice a year in Texas, and they visit me. I talk to my mother on the phone every day.
Every day?
Every day. The bond I have with mother is so weird. I can just say, "Hi," and she'll say, "Oh my God, what happened? What's wrong now?" She just knows.
How funny!And I'm close to my dad and sister. I think I'd have a harder time being here alone if I didn't have such a supportive family.
Bela, where did you get that amazing smile?
From my mother. She's very emotional. I am too. I get my craziness from her.
Well, you may be crazy, but you're definitely crazy beautiful, Princess Bela!
