I am a registered nurse and worked on an inpatient psychiatric unit for 12 years. I have been married since 2007. I have two sons who are 8 and 9 years old. Since my diagnosis with HIV, I have struggled with my own mental illness. As part of my own recovery, I have thrown myself headlong into advocacy. For the past 923 nights, I have taken my HIV medication live on Facebook in order to fight stigma, dispel ignorance and find support. Over the course of nearly 1,000 shows, it has evolved into something truly special. I rely heavily on nostalgia by using vintage toys and classic music played on an antique phonograph Through the use of forced perspective and miniatures, I am able to create a surreal world that hopefully catches the eye long enough for me to educate new viewers about U=U (Undetectable Equals Untransmittable) and PrEP (pre-exposure prophylaxis).

What three adjectives best describe you?

Kind, open, honest.

What is your greatest achievement?

I believe my Facebook live show is my greatest achievement. I have garnered over 13,000 followers, and my videos have had millions of views. I hope I have had a small impact in this deadly fight against stigma.

What is your greatest regret?

I wish I had been more attuned to my parents’ health. I was a young man, but perhaps I could have prevented their deaths.

What keeps you up at night?

Fear of dying. It steals my breath away at times—it has since I was a small child.

If you could change one thing about living with HIV, what would it be?

I would get rid of these horrible fungal infections that I seem prone to now.

What is the best advice you ever received?

To be respectful and appreciative of all the parts of myself—even the parts I don’t like.

What person in the HIV/AIDS community do you most admire?

Josh Robbins. I was aware of him early on in my diagnosis. He really puts himself out there, and I admire that.

What drives you to do what you do?

Having HIV for me was very isolating. Some of it was self-imposed to protect myself from the hurtful things people say. Going live on Facebook is a way to relieve that isolation in a way that feels safe to me.

What is your motto?

“When life hands you HIV, turn that shit into cool AIDS!” (It’s cheeky, I know.)

If you had to evacuate your house immediately, what is the one thing you would grab on the way out?

The phonograph from 1898 that I inherited from my parents. It plays cylinders rather than records, and it is irreplaceable.

If you could be any animal, what would you be? And why?

A sloth is about my speed.