Personal Stories

The HIV epidemic in Philadelphia is heavily concentrated in its black population. Local caregivers at BEBASHI have seen diagnosis rates drop in recent years, though there’s still progress to be made.

Living with HIV for the past 16 years and being over the age of 50, Charles Sanchez is showing signs of aging, but no sign of slowing down.

'Still at Risk' is about long-term survivors, but it's for younger gay men too.

"HIV for African-American women has never been a single issue, separate from histories of addiction, trauma and poverty," Thurka Sangaramoorthy writes.

"Many of our seniors are sexually active and vulnerable to the same circumstances of the lack of information and support as the younger and more visible members of the community," Earl Fowlkes writes.

A conversation with Jeff Taylor, longtime HIV community and research advocate and cancer survivor.

During a session on HIV and healthy aging at the International AIDS Conference in Amsterdam, one woman spoke passionately about the need for increased visibility of older people living with HIV.

"The challenges of HIV and aging still represent an enormous gift and paradox," Edward Jackson writes. "This gift defines my commitment to this life-giving, life-changing vision to the reduce stigma, provide education, and end HIV in our lives."

On the 30th anniversary of her HIV diagnosis, Dawn Averitt writes, "Just being alive in 2018, the mother of three daughters, did not only seem unlikely in 1988, it seemed implausible at best and more realistically, impossible at the time."

Justin B. Terry-Smith talks with five people who have been HIV positive between 10 and 30-plus years to better understand what being a long-term survivor means and to learn about some of the challenges they face.