Inspiring Stories: Men With HIV/AIDS

Gay Men | Heterosexual Men | Mixed

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Justin B. Smith may be one of the most public African Americans living with HIV. In this interview he walks us through some of the key moments in his life, including his stint in the military.

Gay gymnast Matthew Cusick was fired from Cirque du Soleil in 2003 because he was HIV positive.

Jim Pickett has been living with HIV since 1996. He writes eloquently of his life. [Photo by Russell McGonagle]

Scott Fried is a national public speaker, health educator and author

Gay Men

Back From the Brink (November 10, 2009)
People are still dying from AIDS-related causes in the U.S. -- and some of them die without even knowing they're HIV positive. This almost happened to Hollywood publicist and TheBody.com blogger Thomas DeLorenzo.
From The Body
Design for Living (September/October 2009)
Jack Mackenroth takes his message of hope on the road, battling stigma along the way.
To read PDF, click here
In Positively Aware, from Test Positive Aware Network
It's the End of the World as We Know It (September/October 2009)
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In Positively Aware, from Test Positive Aware Network
Living With Two Diseases: HIV and Alcoholism -- A Blog Entry by Jimmy Mack (July 28, 2009)
"The shame I felt at being gay, coupled with my Catholic upbringing, was the very shame that filled me when I met the only thing that quieted that shame: alcohol."
From The Body
This Positive Life: An Interview With Jimmy Mack (June 2, 2009)
Diagnosed with HIV in 1987, fear drove Jimmy into drugs and alcohol. His journey out of addiction was difficult, but Jimmy has now been clean and sober for more than 15 years -- and he's got an undetectable viral load to boot. He now works in property management and is happily partnered with an HIV-negative man.
From The Body
Beyond Ripe (May/June 2009)
"All my kvetching aside, I am happy I made it to 43," says HIV advocate Jim Pickett. "Fourteen years ago, when I found out I was HIV positive, the drama queen in me had me burned up in a vase before 40."
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In Positively Aware, from Test Positive Aware Network
Nelson Vergel: Going Beyond Survival (May/June 2009)
A leading advocate's thoughts on getting the most out of life.
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In Positively Aware, from Test Positive Aware Network
My Search for Meaning: A Video Blog by Mark S. King (May 27, 2009)
After more than 20 years living with HIV, Mark is still searching for meaning in his life and the role that HIV has played in it. In this emotional episode of Mark's ongoing video blog, he talks with three key people who helped him make sense of it all.
From The Body
You Gotta Have Friends: A Video Blog by Mark S. King (April 22, 2009)
Mark invites a group of his HIV-positive friends over for dinner. Together they share intimate stories about disclosure, sex, dating and how they've coped with their status.
From The Body
18 Years Later, The Real World's Pedro Zamora Still Inspires (March 31, 2009)
The film Pedro -- penned by the Oscar-winning writer of Milk -- first aired on MTV on April 1, 2009.
In Los Angeles Times
Maryland: Local Blogger Shares His HIV Experience (February 19, 2009)
In CDC HIV/Hepatitis/STD/TB Prevention News Update, from U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
This Positive Life: An Interview With Ahmad Salcido (February 2, 2009)
Being gay and HIV positive is frowned upon in many Hispanic and Muslim communities, and 23-year-old Ahmad faces unique challenges because he's part of each. However, he's found a supportive community in San Francisco, and his diagnosis has inspired him to take better care of his health.
From The Body
After Sex Work, Homelessness and Drug Addiction, an HIV-Positive Man Comes of Age (Winter 2008/2009)
Kevin was a teenager when he was infected with HIV. In this moving personal story, Kevin explains how his life got so messy -- and how he got the help he needed to clean himself up.
To read PDF, click here
In Achieve, from ACRIA and GMHC
The Drug Addict Takes a Holiday: A Video Blog by Mark S. King (January 13, 2009)
Mark returns to "the scene of the crime": his old haunt in Ft. Lauderdale, Fla., from which he fled three years ago to enter drug rehabilitation.
From The Body
Taking Care of Hal: A Video Blog by Mark S. King (November 20, 2008)
Ever hear someone claim that only a person with HIV can truly understand what it's like to be positive? Longtime HIV survivor Mark King begs to differ. Mark is in Michigan with his oldest brother Hal, who is struggling with lung cancer. He explains how caring for Hal "took me out of myself, out of my disease, and allowed me to focus on another person. This has been my gift this [Thanksgiving] holiday, to be there for Hal and to put my own HIV infection into perspective."
From The Body
A Personal Story (September/October 2008)
Learning to live and love, all over again.
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In Positively Aware, from Test Positive Aware Network
HIV Frontlines: Mark King (May 14, 2008)
In this powerful interview, King recounts the tremendous courage of people who fought through the U.S. epidemic during its terrifying early years.
From The Body
This Positive Life: An Interview With Kali Lindsey (April 16, 2008)
Five years after being diagnosed with HIV, Kali discusses how he learned to seek the support of others and to speak out about his status.
From The Body
Brett Grodeck -- Infinite Possibilities (March/April 2008)
A former editor catches up.
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In Positively Aware, from Test Positive Aware Network
Matthew Cusick -- Performance Extraordinaire (March/April 2008)
A victory for all.
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In Positively Aware, from Test Positive Aware Network
Meet Tony Mills, M.D., an HIV-Positive HIV Specialist and Former International Dr. Leather (March/April 2008)
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In Positively Aware, from Test Positive Aware Network
This Positive Life: An Interview With Paul (March 12, 2008)
From The Body
An Unlikely Father-Daughter Duo Grows Up With HIV (November 20, 2007)
At the age of 48, Michael Kearns, a white, HIV-positive activist, adopted an African-American girl.
In Los Angeles Times
Nelson From Houston: Activist Since 1986 (May 2007)
From The Body
AIDS: For 20 Years, HIV Was My Livelihood. Now, It's My Life (May 14, 2006)
In Washington Post
Profiles in Courage: Anonymous (February 2006)
A 50-year-old, African-American man talks about his personal struggle accepting his HIV-positive status as a Muslim in Chicago.
From The Body
Profiles in Courage: Keith Green (February 2006)
Keith Green, a 29-year-old African-American, has become a well known AIDS activist in Chicago.
From The Body
Profiles in Courage: Mel Byrd (February 2006)
41-year-old Texan Mel Byrd decided that he has kept his HIV a secret for too long, he speaks out about racism, family and HIV.
From The Body
Profiles in Courage: Shelton Jackson (February 2006)
Shelton Jackson talks about how being an African-American with HIV made him realize that you must, "live the life that you want to live".
From The Body
One-on-One With Tim'm West (July/August 2005)
Keith Green interviews the HIV-positive poet, rapper, author, HIV educator and lover of men and (sometimes) "womyn".
To read PDF, click here
In Positively Aware, from Test Positive Aware Network
Marathon Man (November/December 2004)
At the age of 38 and living with HIV since 1995, Jim Pickett prepares to run his first Chicago Marathon.
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In Positively Aware, from Test Positive Aware Network
Man Mistakenly Told He Had HIV Speaks Out About Experience (October 10, 2004)
Jim Malone offers a poignant glimpse into the impact an HIV diagnosis has on a person's life -- and on the brutal role HIV stima still plays in the United States today.
In The New England Journal of Medicine
I Changed My Mind (September/October 2004)
A gay, HIV-positive drug user who watched his soulmate die from AIDS in 1993, Len Greenough's long descent was stopped at the last moment by two amazing friends -- and a pivotal decision.
In Survival News, from AIDS Survival Project
When We Can't Take It Anymore: HIV, Depression and Friendship (September/October 2004)
In a conversation with friends, Tom Setto realizes how important a role friendship can play in keeping your head above water.
To read PDF, click here
In Positively Aware, from Test Positive Aware Network
Going to Extremes to Stay Alive (July/August 2004)
[Archived Article]
Most experts don't recommend joining a clinical trial just to get the latest experimental drugs, but that's exactly what Matt Sharp did -- and he has no regrets.
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In Positively Aware, from Test Positive Aware Network
I Shall Miss Loving Him (July/August 2004)
Eric Watts writes about the hopes and fears that haunt him as his relationship with an HIV-positive man enters its second wonderful decade.
In Survival News, from AIDS Survival Project
My Kind of Life: I Was a Viread Guinea Pig (July/August 2004)
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In Positively Aware, from Test Positive Aware Network
There's a Lid for Every Pot (July 2004)
Eric Rodriguez, Executive Director of Body Positive, writes about the inexplicable synergy of his four-year relationship with an HIV-negative man.
In Body Positive, from Body Positive
I'm Too Old For This (Summer 2004)
For this gay, 65-year-old man, his love life has been his main concern, not HIV.
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In ACRIA Update, from AIDS Community Research Initiative of America
Livin' With It: The Dating Game (March/April 2004)
A 45-year-old gay man with HIV seeks advice from his friends on dating in the new millennium.
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In Positively Aware, from Test Positive Aware Network
Working Positive: Returning to Life (March/April 2004)
In GMHC Treatment Issues, from Gay Men's Health Crisis
Brave New World (January 9, 2004)
When he walked into the classroom to teach his new "Plagues and Politics" college course, Michael Bronski was shocked to find that as far as his students knew, the 20 years of devastation wrought by AIDS on the gay community in the U.S. never occurred.
In The Boston Phoenix
My Kind of Life: I Love My Androgel (November/December 2003)
[Archived Article]
Carlos A. Perez talks about the benefits of Androgel and similar gel-based products used to treat low testosterone.
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In Positively Aware, from Test Positive Aware Network
"The Happiest Day of Our Life" -- A Gay Couple Living With HIV Adopts (September/October 2003)
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In Positively Aware, from Test Positive Aware Network
Pickett Fences: DHIVA (September/October 2003)
Activism can be overwhelming, but Jim Pickett knows he has to keep fighting.
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In Positively Aware, from Test Positive Aware Network
Living in Spite of It All (July/August 2003)
Bil Romain and his lover tested positive for HIV in 1997 -- but that was just the beginning of his remarkable story of survival.
In Survival News, from AIDS Survival Project
Livin' With It: We've Outlived AIDS! (May/June 2003)
Tom Setto has begun feeling the normal aches and pains of getting old and confesses that it's something he can live with.
To read PDF, click here
In Positively Aware, from Test Positive Aware Network
My Journey of Transformation (January/February 2003)
José María Medellín reflects on his HIV-related vision impairment.
In Body Positive, from Body Positive
Positive Empowerment: Talkin' 'bout My Generation (November/December 2002)
"I believe I was part of the 'new generation' in the AIDS epidemic: the safe generation".
To read PDF, click here
In Positively Aware, from Test Positive Aware Network
One Day in the Life of Dennis Rhodes (October 2002)
A gay Massachusetts resident who was diagnosed in 1991.
In Body Positive, from Body Positive
One Day in the Life of Eric Rodriguez (October 2002)
Infected with HIV in 2000, the New York resident is on the Body Positive Board of Directors.
In Body Positive, from Body Positive
Pickett Fences: Seven's Up (September/October 2002)
Jim Pickett's letter to his family telling them that he as HIV.
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In Positively Aware, from Test Positive Aware Network
A Lad and His Dog (May/June 2002)
Carlos Perez writes about how his life changed when he got a dog.
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In Positively Aware, from Test Positive Aware Network
Positive Empowerment (March/April 2002)
Shane Doyle finds support in a group for men with HIV in San Diego.
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In Positively Aware, from Test Positive Aware Network
The Face of AIDS on Fire Island (March/April 2002)
Michael Safdiah says the gay-pride movement has failed in its most important mission: to teach gay men how valuable their lives are.
In Body Positive, from Body Positive
Living With Yoga and HIV (January/February 2002)
[Archived Article]
HIV-positive yoga instructor Per Erez found physical and mental healing in yoga practice.
To read PDF, click here
In Positively Aware, from Test Positive Aware Network
Surviving in Troubling Times (December 2001)
Steven McMahon on living with HIV in New York before and after the World Trade Center attack.
In Body Positive, from Body Positive
Living With HIV -- A Survivor's Perspective (November/December 2001)
David Morris has been HIV-positive for 17 years and has survived many grueling drug regimens.
To read PDF, click here
In Positively Aware, from Test Positive Aware Network
Survivor or Weakest Link? (October 2001)
A reader shares the ups and downs of trying to return to his "pre-AIDS" life.
In Body Positive, from Body Positive
Thoughts About Having AIDS (October 2001)
In Body Positive, from Body Positive
"If I Kill Myself at This Point, I'd Be Killing the Wrong Person": A Memoir (June 2001)
Frank Salinas' story of surviving a life in the orphanage, in prison, with addiction, and with HIV/AIDS, and emerging stronger in the end.
In Body Positive, from Body Positive
Pickett Fences: Rising Above the Pain (May/June 2001)
To read PDF, click here
In Positively Aware, from Test Positive Aware Network
Telling the Truth: An Insider's Look at Disclosure (April 2001)
In Positive Living, from AIDS Project Los Angeles
Dr. Sex: The Joys of Safer Sex (March/April 2001)
In Positively Aware, from Test Positive Aware Network
School Work: A Former Teacher Returns to Work (March 2001)
In Body Positive, from Body Positive
Cruising with Lazarus -- Making a Fresh Start in California (January 2001)
David Salyer moves to the Bay Area: a "mesmerizing realm of all things sexual".
In Survival News, from AIDS Survival Project
Rituals and Regimens 2001: Life After Diagnosis (January/February 2001)
Sanford Gaylord deals with diagnosis and beginning meds.
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In Positively Aware, from Test Positive Aware Network
To Die For (November/December 2000)
For Jim Pickett, confronting his own mortality was the hardest part of adjusting to his HIV status.
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In Positively Aware, from Test Positive Aware Network
Personal Perspective: Busted! (September 2000)
Dennis Rhodes's candid letters to his therapist.
In Body Positive, from Body Positive
Scorpio Rising (June 2000)
One gay man's Father's Day remembrance.
In Body Positive, from Body Positive
Personal Perspective: Dancing With Angels (May 2000)
"AIDS killed all of the really good dancers".
In Body Positive, from Body Positive
Dealing With Pneumonia: One Man's Experience (April 2000)
In Survival News, from AIDS Survival Project
Living as an HIV-Positive Man With My Three Worst Enemies (March 2000)
[Archived Article]
Three emotions that make life with HIV more difficult: denial, martyrdom and self-pity.
In Survival News, from AIDS Survival Project
Reflections: Three Generations of AIDS (March 2000)
[Archived Article]
An activist reflects on three generations of people with HIV.
In Survival News, from AIDS Survival Project
Activism Is the Best Medicine (February 2000)
Profile of Richard Eastman, dedicated activist and survivor.
In Positive Living, from AIDS Project Los Angeles
Selling My Body: Begging With Sister James Marie (August 1999)
In Body Positive, from Body Positive
Thanks, Mom! (May 1999)
The author writes in appreciation of his mom.
In Survival News, from AIDS Survival Project
Getting and Giving Support (April 1999)
"My work with AIDS ... helped me to understand that I can live with this virus".
In Body Positive, from Body Positive
Powers of Example: Gregory Maskwa (April 1999)
A profile of the artist and writer.
In Body Positive, from Body Positive
Eye of the Storm: A Milestone -- Turning 40 (March 1999)
In Survival News, from AIDS Survival Project
Living With HIV: Why Me? (February 1999)
After living nine years with HIV, the author wonders why he has survived while others have died.
In Positive Living, from AIDS Project Los Angeles
Powers of Example: Chuck Kletecka (December 1998)
Diagnosed in the mid-80s, he now celebrates his 45th birthday.
In Body Positive, from Body Positive
Reflections of Christmas Past (December 1998)
In Survival News, from AIDS Survival Project
Powers of Example: Juan Sanchez (November 1998)
In Body Positive, from Body Positive
Veteran's Spirit Undaunted by Loss (August 1998)
Tom Swann's legal and health problems never stopped him from activism.
In Positive Living, from AIDS Project Los Angeles
Bob Chapman (July 1998)
Profile of a positive New Yorker.
In Body Positive, from Body Positive
Practicing Pedal Power (July 1998)
Profile of an AIDS Ride cyclist.
In Positive Living, from AIDS Project Los Angeles
Coming to Terms: To My Psychotherapist, Dan (March 1998)
From the letters of poet and writer Dennis Rhodes.
In Body Positive, from Body Positive
The Scarlet Letters, a Nonfiction Short Story: Part II (February 1998)
In Body Positive, from Body Positive
Life in the Maelstrom: Living and Working Amid the AIDS Epidemic (1998)
A psychotherapist's personal and professional view of the epidemic.
In The Encyclopedia of AIDS
The Scarlet Letters, a Nonfiction Short Story: Part I (January 1998)
In Body Positive, from Body Positive
Scott Fried -- AIDS Educator (October 1997)
Interview with the author of If I Grow Up: Talking to Teenagers About AIDS.
In Body Positive, from Body Positive
Powers of Example: Michael Picucci (August 1997)
Dealing with HIV and lymphoma.
In Body Positive, from Body Positive
Emperor of Courage and Survival (July 1997)
Interview with Tom De Conza, Emperor in the Imperial Court of New York, a drag fundraising organization.
In Body Positive, from Body Positive
Rickie Rivera: Giving Back to Society (May 1997)
A gay, Puerto Rican New Yorker copes with HIV.
In Body Positive, from Body Positive
Thomas Weise: German Expatriate and Volunteer in Children's Care Programs (April 1997)
In Body Positive, from Body Positive
"My Story" (1997)
Scott Fried recalls how he was infected with HIV.
In If I Grow Up: Talking With Teens About AIDS, Love, and Staying Alive, from Scott Fried
Living With HIV: Mom [and Me] (August 1996)
A writer finds comfort in the last person he'd expect to understand.
In Positive Living, from AIDS Project Los Angeles

Heterosexual Men

This Positive Life: Harley Enthusiast Talks About Life With HIV (January 5, 2009)
Joseph has been living with HIV since 1995. Originally from Chicago, he makes his home in San Francisco now.
In This Positive Life, from The Body
Personal Perspective: Fighting for Treatment in Thailand (Summer 2008)
Kamon Uppakaew saw that dreams could come true -- he could have HIV and he could get treatment, plus he could also have an HIV-negative daughter.
In Thrive, from ACRIA and GMHC
Profiles in Courage: Larry Bryant (February 2006)
African-American Larry Bryant could have been a pro football player; instead, he works as an AIDS advocate for Housing Works in Washington D.C.
From The Body
Greg Braxton: A Long Journey to Recovery (January 2005)
With a 27-year history of drinking, using drugs and sleeping with hundreds of women, Greg Braxton's AIDS diagnosis in 1994 came as no surprise.
In A Guide to Fuzeon: The First Fusion Inhibitor, from The Body
Periods, Bras and T Cells: A Father-Daughter Talk (June 18-24, 2004)
In this touching, beautifully crafted story, Michael Kearns writes about how he finally told his nine-year-old adopted daughter that he has HIV.
In LA Weekly
The Illumination of Shadows: A Personal Account (February 2001)
In Body Positive, from Body Positive
Living With HIV: I Cannot Begin to Tell You (March 1998)
In Positive Living, from AIDS Project Los Angeles
Willie Robertson (March 1998)
An HIV-positive former IV drug user turns public speaker.
In Body Positive, from Body Positive
We Are Family: Living With Hemophilia and HIV (September 1997)
A father and his 12-year-old daughter talk about dealing with his illness.
In Body Positive, from Body Positive

Mixed

Biking Transforms Lives of AIDS Housing Residents in Harlem (November 18, 2009)
In Housing Works AIDS Issues Update, from Housing Works
Speaking From the Heart: Jacques Gélinas (Spring/Summer 2009)
To read PDF, click here
In The Positive Side, from Canadian AIDS Treatment Information Exchange
Speaking From the Heart: James Lord Edwards (Spring/Summer 2009)
To read PDF, click here
In The Positive Side, from Canadian AIDS Treatment Information Exchange
Rob From Los Angeles: A Fuzeon Veteran (2007)
From The Body
Profiles in Courage: Bishop Kwabena Rainey Cheeks (February 2006)
53-year-old Bishop Kwabena Rainey Cheeks uses his position in the church to address the growing HIV epidemic among African Americans.
From The Body
Awakening a Giant (Summer 2004)
J. Edward Shaw, 63, talks about the challenges he's had to overcome as he grows older with HIV.
To read PDF, click here
In ACRIA Update, from AIDS Community Research Initiative of America
Why Am I Still Here? (Summer 2004)
Paul Miller, 52 and HIV positive for more than a decade, has lately had a whole new set of changes to cope with.
To read PDF, click here
In ACRIA Update, from AIDS Community Research Initiative of America
Living With HIV: The Price (May/June 2003)
[Archived Article]
Young people who think living with HIV is no big deal fail to realize the costs of infection.
In Survival News, from AIDS Survival Project
Life Lessons (December 2002)
Author Timothy Critzer shares tribal wisdom about living with HIV.
In Positive Living, from AIDS Project Los Angeles
Bed and Breakfast, Anyone? (June/July 2002)
Gary Oberst has hated every one of his HIV-induced hospital stays. And yet ...
In Positive Living, from AIDS Project Los Angeles
I Ride Because I Can -- A Pos Ped Perspective (May/June 2002)
An HIV-positive AIDS ride cyclist decides to ride with the Pos Ped team.
To read PDF, click here
In Positively Aware, from Test Positive Aware Network
Positive Empowerment (November/December 2001)
After years of hiding from HIV in drug use, Tyrone Pittman is now positive about being positive.
To read PDF, click here
In Positively Aware, from Test Positive Aware Network
Going the Distance (April 2001)
Artist Joe Monroe says goodbye to AIDS Project Los Angeles.
In Positive Living, from AIDS Project Los Angeles
A Brush With Life -- A Profile of Joe Monroe (December 2000)
A look at an HIV-positive artist.
In Positive Living, from AIDS Project Los Angeles
A Personal Perspective: Twenty Years and Counting (Winter 2000/2001)
[Archived Article]
Paul Muller was diagnosed in 1980 and never expected to survive.
In ACRIA Update, from AIDS Community Research Initiative of America
Living With HIV: How I Learned AIDS = Life (April 1999)
"At 22 I was diagnosed with AIDS; yet in a weird twist, my life was just beginning".
In Positive Living, from AIDS Project Los Angeles
Powers of Example: Aaron Greggs (March 1999)
In Body Positive, from Body Positive
Reflections: AIDS Has Not Taken Away My Dignity (March 1999)
In Survival News, from AIDS Survival Project
Powers of Example: Benny (February 1999)
His motto in the army was "Be all that you can be," now it's his motto as a man living with HIV.
In Body Positive, from Body Positive
Powers of Example: Ted Hershey (November 1997)
[Archived Article]
Profile of the dancer and choreographer.
In Body Positive, from Body Positive
I See Miracles All the Time (May 1997)
Excerpt from Sometimes My Heart Goes Numb: Love and Caregiving in a Time of AIDS, by Charles Garfield with Cindy Spring and Doris Ober.
In Sometimes My Heart Goes Numb: Love and Caregiving in a Time of AIDS, from Jossey-Bass Inc.
Kvitch: So, You Wanted to Join the Circus! (December 1996)
Trying to keep cool and composed in the face of HIV.
In Body Positive, from Body Positive
Viewpoint: On Becoming HIV Negative -- Opening New Doors (November 1996)
In Body Positive, from Body Positive
Kvitch: Well Did You Ever? What a Swell Party This Is! (October 1996)
What would you do if you knew for sure that you would outlive AIDS?.
In Body Positive, from Body Positive

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