Diagnoses

My life changed drastically at age 25.  I was diagnosed as "HIV positive" in 1988, and "full-blown AIDS" (now called "Advanced HIV") in 1989.  At the time, my prognosis was grim: I had two, maybe three years to "get my shit together" and all my affairs "in order."  Thanks to new medications that arrived in the mid-90's, I was given a "stay of execution," if you will.  Today I'm a member of a small group of "long-term survivors" (LTS), HIV +/AIDS-stricken men and women who have beaten the odds and held onto life in the face of seemingly-insurmountable obstacles.  Learning that there were others from 'back in the days' of fear and ignorance has enabled me to keep going—if they can do it, so can I!