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After being dianosed April 12, 1992, I jsut knew I had to keep this quiet. As a man living in the deep South and growing up in a church who was packed with judgement, I realized the quieter the better. I knew the job I had would be the hardest to keep a secret. Although I was in management at a factory, each day was walking on egg shells. I realized if anyone found out, my career would end. And yes it ended in June of 1992, Now 30 years later I am still standing tall!
In short forgive me I’m not a writer….your story rings true for me. In 1986 87 I am HIV positive, I kept this to myself for a year in fear of loosing ALL, immediately into clinical trials was it AZT or the placebo?? Cards of pills a daily regiment.In1990 my HIV becomes Aids, three T cells,I was hospitalized for three months coma Mac pneumonia I died several times and came back to life because my will to live was stronger than to die! Thank You Dr G and my late life partner Peacelovehope
Thanks, Mark, for your story...which parallels mine in several ways. I was born in 1947, tested positive in 1986, survived both KS and a completely depleted immune system just in time to find the first protease inhibitor come out...which literally saved (and changed) my life. Here I am, now looking right at my 75th birthday in a couple of months, retired (finally!), healthy, happy, thriving! I thank and bless all the wonderful people who stuck with me and on whom I leaned!
Thank you for your sharing, I tested positive in 1986, still asymptomatic. My largest regret from AIDS was the death of my lover of 17 years Jimmy from the disease 1990. Do not have survivors guilt, but boy do I still miss him so. AIDS was the maturing of the Gay Community and Gay Culture. Gay men and women rose to the occasion and did a lot of demonstrating and caregiving, plus reached out to all groups with AIDS. Surviving is not the main goal, it is thriving. We must move on.
I’ll be positive 37 years come June 18, 2022. At one point, prior to new treatments in the early ‘90s, I had a very well connected and, I thought, sophisticated member of the HIV/AIDS intelligencia ask me, “So, what do you want to do, travel?” when I disclosed my status. My response was, “I don’t get that much vacation.” I persevere with my life. I retired in 2018, enjoy an active part-time job, have been healthy, and look forward to my next anniversary and birthday!
Oh my lord! Your essay made me calculate that I've been living with HIV for 35 YEARS! My mind is officially blown. I suppose it's a good sign that I was too busy living to dwell on living with the most notorious virus of the last century. I, too, have lost a few friends to AIDS. It's a blessing that the condition is now manageable as a chronic condition instead of an automatic death sentence. Now if only we could eliminate any new cases of HIV infection.
Thank you so much for sharing your story. Your words give so much strength, insight and hope to live a life of love, light and life. When you have been in the game this long it can become boring to have pill fatigue. The reasons we live is to tell the story of those who went to their great initiation before us and they the first ones who cross over are here protect us and guide us in or cosmic dance of Consciousness. Nurse Dougie
solman
The stigma of being hiv+ exists within the world of DDF gays. Ageism and Pozism are real and sad. It's tough finding a way through the labyrinth of social stresses without the community we all belong to in one way or another to discard those who are poz as being "unclean". We've come a long way but still have a lot of miles to travel.
April 21, 2022