I’ve got about 12 friends who are sick right now. Some have sinus infections, some have sore throats and some are just sick of winter.

I see them every day, going to class, doing homework and helping to publish The BG News. Sometimes they complain, and I try to sympathize, but when I’m not sick, it’s sometimes hard for me to remember how hard it is to be unwell.

The last time I was under the weather was this past winter break. I had a cold.

Before that, I can’t remember the last time I was sick. It might have been the summer after freshman year. I had a cold then, too.

As a kid, though, I was ill every other day. Once I had strep throat, the flu and an ear infection all at the same time.

But I was never really sick back then, and now I don’t even come close. Every year, each flu season, I sail through with little more than a stuffy nose.

And when it was time for a new In Focus idea, I found myself thinking about those people I know who are chronically ill — family members, acquaintances, but mostly, my fellow students.

Where does the University rank among research institutions? This year is the 30th anniversary of AIDS — how far have we come in treatment research?

How many students have to fit doctor’s appointments and medical treatments into their lives? How strong is the stigma associated with illnesses, especially HIV?

You might be surprised at some of the answers. I was.