This Positive Life: Video Interviews Featuring People Living With HIV/AIDS

From The Body

David Adkins

When David tested positive in 1997, he was utterly shocked: He was confident that he had used condoms with his partners over the years. But when he put two and two together, he realized that he had been drugged and raped one night, and as a result of that sexual assault, he had contracted HIV. This openly-gay executive director of an HIV/AIDS service organization talks about his struggles with drugs and alcohol after his diagnosis; the obstacles he faces while doing prevention work in his rural Pennsylvania town; and how working in the HIV/AIDS field has changed his life.

To read or watch David's interview, click here.

Tree Alexander

At 20, Tree thought he had it all -- a wonderful job in Chicago and a loving boyfriend -- until the shocking news: He and his partner were both HIV positive. Barely out of his teens, Tree had to grow up fast, educate himself about a disease he knew very little about and seek treatment despite having no health insurance. This blogger, public speaker and AIDS advocate discusses the importance of adhering to medications, never giving up hope and educating his peers.

To read or watch Tree's interview, click here.

James Bender

In the late '80s, James, a heterosexual former Navy soldier living in rural Mississippi, believed what most Americans thought at that time: HIV was a gay white male disease. But James tested positive in the summer of 1987, and quickly realized that this epidemic affected everyone. Instead of choosing to live in silence about his status, he decided to speak out and educate his community. This father and AIDS advocate candidly talks to us about the difficulty of being one of the first African-American men to test positive in his county; the stigma and discrimination that faces people living with HIV in the South; and why he never grows tired of talking about HIV.

To read or watch James' interview, click here.

Dee Borrego

At 21, Dee not only received an HIV diagnosis, but came out as a transgender woman, struggled with drug addiction and survived a breakup with her boyfriend. Thankfully, with the help of support groups and friends, she was able to overcome it all. In this inspiring interview, Dee talks about living and surviving HIV as a transgender woman; her parents' journey to accepting her for who she is; and the importance of speaking out about HIV/AIDS.

To read or watch Dee's interview, click here.

Richard Brodsky

In 1997, Richard contracted HIV through unprotected sex in an extramarital affair with a man. Despite his infidelity and diagnosis, he and his loving wife of 30 years, Jodi, stayed together and their relationship persevered. In 2002, the couple was dealt another blow when Richard was diagnosed with brain cancer and given only two to four years to live. Thankfully, he battled back, and the couple talks to us about the importance of love and forgiveness, being in a serosdiscordant relationship, and the foundation they started to support AIDS orphans in Africa.

To read or watch Richard's interview, click here.

Efrain Carrasquillo

In 1990, like most of society, Efrain, then 25 years old, believed that HIV was not a heterosexual man's issue -- until he tested positive. Because stigma was so staunch, he only disclosed to his immediate family, refused to date and lived in silence about his diagnosis for five years. It wasn't until 1995 that he found the courage to disclose to others. And once he did, his life completely turned around for the better. This Bronx native talks about the importance of having a strong support system; how HIV/AIDS work changed his life; and how his wife and her children have given him the family he never thought he would have.

To read or watch Efrain's interview, click here.

Anthony Castro and Frank Lopez

In 2000, Anthony, a 19-year-old immigrant from Chile, discovered he was HIV positive. With an initial CD4 count of 4, he was given only six months to live. Anthony's partner, Frank, was diagnosed in 2007. He had been living a party lifestyle after a long year of heartbreak and financial frustration. Anthony and Frank tell us about their experiences living with HIV; how they met and fell in love; and how they cope with the cultural stigma they both face for being positive and gay.

To read or watch Frank and Anthony's interview, click here.

Brenda Chambers

Brenda embodies the term "survivor." This mother of four, recovering crystal meth addict and sexual abuse survivor did not allow for her 2003 HIV diagnosis to stop her from living. In fact, she used it as a means to stop using drugs, regain custody of her children and become an AIDS activist in Salt Lake City.

To read or watch Brenda's interview, click here.

Patricia Clark

In 1991, when Patricia's then-boyfriend called her from prison and told her that she needed to be tested for HIV, she was completely stunned. Living in a small town in Michigan, Patricia didn't know anyone else who was positive and she instantly thought she was going to die. But with the help of her local HIV service organization, Patricia found the support, information and solace that she needed. This AIDS advocate and mother of one talks openly about how stigma has deeply affected her relationships with family and friends; her ongoing struggle to ensure that fear does not control her life; and how the HIV/AIDS work that she does in her community makes her happy.

To read or watch Patricia's interview, click here.

Robert Cohen

Being diagnosed in 1986 in San Francisco -- the epicenter of the epidemic at that time -- Robert Cohen was convinced that he was going to die. He watched so many of his friends pass away, yet he stayed healthy and undetectable over the years, not knowing why. Then in 2000, Cohen was told that he was a long-term nonprogressor and an elite controller -- an extremely rare group of people living with HIV for many years who have not yet experienced a severe loss of CD4 cells.

To read or watch Robert's interview, click here.

Ron Crowder

When Ron tested positive in jail back in 1991, he wasn't surprised. Being an injection drug user who was sharing needles, he knew he was at risk. Yet, being diagnosed in a time when AZT was the only medication available, Ron never lost hope nor has he allowed an AIDS diagnosis to stop him from giving back and educating Nashville's African-American community about HIV.

To read or watch Ron's interview, click here.

Sharon Gambles

When Sharon, 47, was diagnosed with HIV in 1989, like many other people, she thought HIV was a gay white man's disease, thus she knew nothing about the disease. To make matters worse, during this time, there were very few resources for women living with HIV -- Sharon felt completely alone and lived in denial for years. This recovering addict, mother of three and out lesbian talks about her journey to sobriety, coming to terms with being HIV positive and how she started to love herself again.

To read or watch Sharon's interview, click here.

Lolisa Gibson

When Lolisa got tested for HIV in 2004, she was certain that she was HIV negative. So when her results came back positive, she was utterly shocked. It was a lot for a 17-year-old to take in, but the more she learned about HIV, the more she didn't let her diagnosis stop her from living. Lolisa, a proud mother of a baby boy, talks to us about coping with her diagnosis, becoming an HIV educator/public speaker, and being in a mixed-status relationship with a man.

To read or watch Lolisa's interview, click here.

Wanda Hernandez

When Wanda was diagnosed with HIV in 1995, she was completely shocked; she thought she had always practiced safer sex. Like many people who are newly diagnosed, fear began to take over. But instead of letting that fear consume her, she educated herself about HIV and eventually became an activist lobbying in Albany, N.Y., on behalf of people living with HIV/AIDS. This mother of one talks about the loneliness of being positive and working in corporate America, the importance of securing housing for people living with HIV/AIDS, and why the AIDS community can never give up hope.

To read the entire transcript of Wanda's interview, click here.

Raymond Jackson

Raymond was born with HIV. At age 4, he suffered a stroke that left him paraplegic. He didn't realize he had HIV until 1992, when he was only 12 years old. And as if that was not difficult enough, he was reeling from his mother's death and struggling with his sexuality as a gay youth. But he persevered. Raymond talks to us about his incredible journey, the hardships of being different, the pressures of dating, and the things he does to combat HIV stigma and educate others who may also feel out of place.

To read or watch Raymond's interview, click here.

Joyce Turner Keller

Archbishop Joyce Turner Keller, 60, never thought that HIV would ever happen to her -- she was a "good Christian" woman who devoted her life to her family, community and church. But then everything changed when she was raped and later diagnosed with AIDS. This advocate and grandmother of three discusses why giving up was never an option, the dire importance of educating the faith community about the epidemic; and her own non-profit for young people, Aspirations.

To read or watch Joyce's interview, click here.

Patricia Kelly

In 1985, Patricia, who was a 31-year-old injection drug user, learned that she was HIV positive while serving time in a South Carolina women's correctional facility. Convinced that she was going to die because her doctor told her as much, Patricia hid the fact that she was positive and spiraled deeply into her drug use. This mother of three and recovering addict talks to us about her 20-year journey in and out of the prison system; overcoming the cultural stigma that stopped her from seeking the mental health help that she needed; and the relief and peace that being able to disclose her HIV status has brought her.

To read or watch Patricia's interview, click here.

Rachelle McNair

In 2009, this mother of five was helping her youngest son settle into college when she came down with H1N1 influenza. She was rushed to the hospital, where she was also diagnosed with HIV. Her CD4 count was zero. While the doctors basically sent her home to die, Rachelle recovered with the help of medicine, support and her faith. A year later, this newly married church leader and recovering addict talks with us about cheating death, why ignorance around HIV is killing us and why she started her own group to build women's self-esteem.

To read or watch Rachelle's interview, click here.

Henry Ocampo

Henry Ocampo was freshly out of college. He had a good job, a loving relationship and a new sense of freedom. But at the age of 23, he was diagnosed with HIV and told his CD4 count was perilously low. This news came as a shock: Not only did he work in HIV prevention, but he always played it safe with his then-boyfriend, who was positive. Henry talks to us about living with HIV for the past 15 years; the stigma around being Filipino, gay and positive; and letting go of the fear of dying early.

To read or watch Henry's interview, click here.

Leslie and Andrea Williams

In 1993, after a brief stint in jail, Leslie, a recovering IV drug user, tested positive for HIV. While most people would have focused on themselves, Leslie was more concerned about having to tell his wife, Andrea, who also tested positive. The couple talks to us about how support groups helped them cope with their diagnosis; the vow they made that HIV/AIDS stops with them in their family; and how Life Support, the HBO film based on Andrea's life, has given them a larger platform from which to educate people about the epidemic.

To read or watch Leslie and Andrea's interview, click here.

This article was provided by The Body.

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