National HIV/AIDS and Aging Awareness

September 18^th will mark the 3^rd annual National HIV/AIDS and Aging Awareness Day (NHAAAD). This year's theme is "Aging is a part of life; HIV doesn't have to be" and is being recognized by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of HIV/AIDS Policy and AIDS.gov. It is becoming increasingly important to recognize this population and provide them with prevention, testing care and treatment.

According to Michael Ruppal, Executive Director of the AIDS Institute, "This year's campaign theme, Aging is a part of life; HIV doesn't have to be, illustrates the need to promote HIV prevention, education and testing among older Americans. The aging population is frequently ignored when it comes to diagnoses, perhaps because of the disconnect with regard to HIV testing in older adults."

It is important to understand that the 50 and older population is the fastest growing population in the world. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention 50 and older account for:

- 16% of new HIV/AIDS diagnoses
- 27% of persons living with HIV
- 33% of persons living with AIDS
- 19% of all AIDS diagnoses
- 38% of deaths of those living with AIDS

Unfortunately, even with these statistics there are older adults who still do not know their status. The AIDS Institute believes that may be due to the following reasons:

I. Health care providers do not always test older people for HIV/AIDS and may miss cases
during routine checkups.

II. People who are 50 years and older may mistake signs of HIV/AIDS for the aches and
pains of normal aging.

III. They are less likely than younger people to get tested.

IV. Older Americans know less about HIV/AIDS than younger people and may not know
how it spreads or the importance of using condoms, not sharing needles, and getting tested
for HIV.

V. Older people are less likely than younger people to talk about their sex lives or drug use
with their health care providers.

VI. Health care providers may not ask older patients about their sex lives or drug use or talk
to them about risky behaviors.

It is important to know your status and get educated about the risk of transmission no matter what your age. Knowing your status helps reduce the number of people becoming infected. For free and confidential testing call Good Samaritan Project's testing hotline at 816-778-0772 to set up an appointment.

Information obtained and adapted from The AIDS Institute www.theaidsinstitute.org

2nd Annual Kansas City Latino Gay Pride/Orgullo Latino

Mario Canedo has planned the second annual Latino Gay Pride for September 11 from 2:00 – 8:00 pm. This year's event will be held at Washington Square Park and will feature music, dancing and live performances. This event has partnered with the National Latino AIDS Awareness Day (NLAAD) which is October 15. NLAAD takes place on the last day of the Hispanic Heritage month and was established in 2003. NLAAD hopes to unite and raise awareness in the Hispanic/Latino community. The 2010 theme is Save a Life, It May be your Own. Get Tested for HIV.

The Latino Gay Pride event allows an open and inviting venue for discussing HIV/AIDS and the need for safe sex within the Latino community in Kansas City. Here are some facts about Latinos and HIV/AIDS:

∙ Latinos account for 17% of all of new HIV infections and this is a 5% increase from 2005 – 2008.
∙ HIV infection among Latino men is double that of white men and four times that in Latina women than white women.
∙ Early detection can help prevent the spread of HIV; of those Latinos testing late, 41% develop AIDS within the first year.

We hope you will join us on September 11 as we raise awareness about HIV in the Latino community. Free and confidential testing will be available. For more information please call our Spanish hotline 816-778-0793 or visit http://www.nlaad.org/ for information about events in other cities.

Statics taken from http://www.nlaad.org/

AIDS Bicycle Challenge

The weather if finally starting to cool off and that means it is time once again for the AIDS Service Foundation of Kansas City's AIDS Bicycle Challenge. The bike challenge raises funds for local Kansas City HIV/AIDS organizations including Good Samaritan Project, Save Inc., KC Free Health Clinic and Hope Care Center.


This will be the event's sixth year and hopes to continue the growth from last year. In 2009 the event grew to over 300 riders up from just over 100 in 2008. To help encourage team participation this year they are offering a VIP tent for the team with the most participation and overall team fundraising. Of course I will be there with Team GSP, unfortunately I won't be riding but I will be hanging around our table at the event. I would love to see everyone come out and ride with us. Check out our team page on Firstgiving to ride with us or to help one our team members.

This year's event will be at Berkley Riverfront Park and will have four routes – 50, 35, 16 and 2 miles. Registration is $25 before the event and $30 the day of. Riders raising over $50 will be guaranteed a tech shirt or you can register for $50 to get the shirt.

For more information about the event and to see the routes check out the ABC website.
http://aidsbicyclechallenge.org/

Join the Circle!

We need you for the GSP Circle of Caring! The GSP Circle of Caring is a way for children, teens, families and individuals to participate in monthly activities that directly benefit people affected by HIV/AIDS in the greater Kansas City Area. We are currently facebooking (is that a word?) to spread the idea (join us at GSP Circle of Caring). Here is our project for the month of June.


Help Us Diaper KC

Imagine having to limit changing your baby to once a day because of an inability to afford diapers. For low income families affected by HIV/AIDS, this is a reality. But it doesn’t have to be that way. Help us diaper KC by donating packs of disposable diapers.

Frequently Asked Questions

Don’t public funds pay for this?
Programs such as food stamps or WIC do not cover diapers. Food pantries and other programs for low income families usually have a small supply of emergency diapers, but not a consistent supply for a family with a baby.

Why not give families cloth diapers?
While cloth diapers are great, they also require the ability to clean and sanitize them. Many of our families do not have on-site laundry facilities. Also, most day care centers require disposable diapers. The lack of access to disposable diapers can affect a parent’s ability to secure adequate employment that may help their family improve their economic situation.

The average cost for diapering a baby in the first year of life is $800.

Help us Diaper KC – donate today!
For more information please contact Nicole Davis at (816) 561-8784 or ndavis@gsp-kc.org.

Watch This Spot!

Coming soon! The Circle of Caring - fun, easy, volunteer activities for the whole family. Keep watching for more details!

Sister Kevin

After twenty plus years of service to Good Samaritan Project, Sister Kevin clocked in her last hour on Friday. For those of you who had the pleasure of working with her know how much she will be missed. I think this quote by Audrey Hepburn really describes her spirit.

“For beautiful eyes, look for the good in others; for beautiful lips, speak only words of kindness; and for poise, walk with the knowledge that you are never alone.”

I'm From Driftwood

I was reading the profiles of 40 under 40 on Advocate.com. In addition to our own senator (and GSP friend) Jolie Justus, another profile also caught my eye. Creator and editor of I’m From Driftwood, Nathan Manske has made a place for sharing true stories of gay life. This quote from their website sums up the need for this type of outlet.

To the gay teens struggling to come out and deal with their sexuality, who to this day still attempt suicide 4 times more than straight kids, it says “you are not alone.” Other people have dealt with similar situations, families, communities and churches, and have overcome and are now living happy lives.
It can happen for you, too. It gets soooo much better, I promise. Hang in there, kiddo.

And to the people who don’t support equal rights, it says we’re not all that different afterall. We all have stories and problems and loves and lives just like everyone else. So maybe we should all be treated like everyone else, too.

Every day there is a new story, a different life reveled. So whether you’re part of the LGBT community, or struggling to come out, or an ally, this website is for you. Check it out at http://www.imfromdriftwood.com/

After 160 Years of Service, St. Vincent’s Will Close

“Every doorway you looked in there was a young man lying in the bed, very, very ill. It felt like a war hospital. It was very, very affecting, very powerful. I spent a lot of time in those rooms.”

- Cynthia O’Neal, Co-founder of Friends in Deed, AIDS Services Agency

Since the early days of the AIDS epidemic, St. Vincent’s found itself on the frontlines. From the start of the epidemic to 1995 more New Yorkers were affected by HIV/AIDS then the number of U.S. deaths in the Vietnam War. Many of the affected passed through the halls of St. Vincent’s. Every bed was filled and patients died in hallways waiting for a room.

On 12th Street in New York City, this hospital experienced a huge culture clash between the gay community and the Catholic run hospital. Catholic leaders fought public-health initiatives such as safer sex practices and members of the gay community felt angry toward the dicta of the Church. However, as AIDS cases began to account for most of the admissions, St. Vincent’s found its way. Soon the funds followed, assisting St. Vincent’s in providing extraordinary service to those affected by AIDS.

Today, St. Vincent’s is getting ready to close its doors. Currently, $700 million dollars in debt and continuing to lose $10 million each month, there is no way out but closure. With new medications that make living with HIV a chronic situation, the drop in admissions contributed to the financial instability of the hospital.

For many, the closing of the hospital will be bittersweet. Sarah Schulman, writer and activist, was present when her friend, David Feinburg, died painfully at St. Vincent’s. Schulman remarks, “Boy, I don’t have any happy memories of St. Vincent’s. But I’m glad it was there.”

Adapted from www.nymag.com

It’s a bird, it’s a plane, it’s “Super Lawyer Rising Star” John Nechman!

That’s right, you immigration/civil rights law groupies, John Nechman is coming to town! This Friday, John Nechman will be presenting on HIV and the Law at Shook, Hardy and Bacon (see www.gsp-kc.org for more details).

A founding partner at Katine and Nechman L.L.P., he has been named twice by Texas Monthly Magazine as a “Super Lawyer Rising Star” As a adjunct professor at South Texas College of Law and University of Houston Law Center, he teaches courses on “Sexual Orientation and the Law” and “HIV and the Law.” His experience as an immigration lawyer has led to serving on the board of several well known non-profits, including Immigration Equality and the National Lesbian and Gay Law Association. Nechman has been the recipient of many awards including, the 2004 Stonewall Law Award for Excellence in Advocacy, the Human Rights Campaign’s 2005 Political Equality Award, the 2007 State Bar of Texas’s Judge Norman Black Award and the 2007 Outsmart Magazine Statue of Liberty Award.

We are excited to host the HIV and the Law seminar. Hopefully, Mr. Nechman will wear his cape during his talk.

Are We Stupid?

“Treatment is popular – voters smile on compassionate politicians who give out life-saving drugs, while frowning on politicians who give out condoms or clean needles that would make those drugs unnecessary.” Quote from Elizabeth Pisani’s book The Wisdom of Whores

This quote made me think about another quote from one of my all-time favorite shows, The West Wing. The following exchange is between CJ Cregg, press secretary and Charlie Young, personal aide to the president. Charlie has just disclosed to a member of the press that the president does not care for green beans and CJ is worried about offending green bean farmers, which Charlie thinks is ridiculous.

CJ Cregg: “Everybody’s stupid in an election year, Charlie.”

Charlie Young: “No, everybody gets treated stupid in an election year, CJ.”

Here’s the thing. Elections often have the distinct odor of a homecoming court crowning. For all intents and purposes, an election shows us who was the most popular in a certain area at a certain time. It also makes sense that if people want to keep the job they were elected to do, they do a lot to stay popular, much like the king and queen from homecoming that wants a run at prom royalty. They do not create and maintain programs that are unpopular with voters. So my question is; are needle exchange programs and a handing out condoms really that unpopular? Or are we getting treated election year stupid?

One point of the book The Wisdom of Whores points out (and other research I’ve read) is that sometimes people have to gradually move to safety. Not everyone has the ability to quit drugs cold turkey or will stop having high-risk sex. For example, people that inject drugs often have a decreased ability to monitor their own safety. Needle exchange programs assist in reducing the risk of disease and can be a source of information for users. Some needle exchange programs help users transition into recovery programs.
Likewise, handing out safer sex kits can be used as a way to educate high risk populations about proper prevention techniques and testing information.

Preventing disease is preferable to treating it. The two pronged approach of treatment and prevention needs to be maintained to better serve our communities and those infected with HIV (and other preventable diseases). Let’s make health a priority (and popular) with our politicians and our communities.

BINGO!

Tomorrow night I’ll be at Hamburger Mary’s for Bingo Night. Proceeds benefit Good Samaritan Project. Come, hang out, play some bingo and sample great grub! Bingo starts at 8:00 pm.

Go to the website for more information http://www.hamburgermaryskc.com/

Hamburger Mary’s is located at 101 Southwest Boulevard, Kansas City, MO 64108.

How Teens Can Help the Kansas City HIV/AIDS Community

According to the Corporation for National and Community Service, 55 percent of American teenagers volunteered in 2004. Increasingly, teens are looking for ways to serve their community, either with their peers or with their families. Here is a list of ideas for teens to help the HIV/AIDS community in the Kansas City area.

• Host an information night about STDs at your school, home, or church. Good Samaritan Project (GSP) has classes that are age appropriate for teens and parents. Call Nicole at (816) 561-8784 for more information.

• Do a BUCK drive. Ask for donations of one dollar and see how many you can collect. Or go online to www.buckaids.org and donate a dollar and encourage your friends to do the same.

• Host a cleaning supply or toilet paper drive for the clients of GSP. These essentials can often be costly and can not be purchased with food stamps.

• Host a healthy food drive for the clients of GSP. Unfortunately, healthy foods are often the most expensive. For people living with HIV/AIDS, having a balanced diet is very important. Examples of good products for non-perishable food items are; wheat grain, quinoa, brown rice, pinto beans, and black beans.

• Start an AIDS Walk team with your friends. This year, AIDS Walk is on April 24th at Theis Park. Look at the website http://www.aidswalkkansascity.org/ for more details.

• Come up with your own idea to help those affected by HIV/AIDS.

• Most importantly, protect your health and encourage your friends to do the same. New HIV infections are most common in the 13-24 age group. Get educated about HIV and if you are sexually active, practice safer sex EVERY time. Don’t become another statistic.

Questions about how you can help? Contact our volunteer coordinator, Nicole Davis at ndavis@gsp-kc.org

Where is Bucky?

Man, does the time fly by here at GSP! We seem to be constantly moving. I have to let you know about all the cool opportunities we have coming up!

April 1st – Bingo Night (8:00 pm) at Hamburger Mary’s 101 Southwest Boulevard Kansas City, MO 64108

April 9th – HIV and the Law Seminar – call Emily or Nicole (816) 561-8784 for more details

April 15th – Castro Movie Night (7:00 pm) at Screenland Armour 408 Armour Road, Kansas City, MO 64116

April 24th – AIDS Walk (registration opens at 8:00am) Theis Park, corner of Oak Street East 47th Street.

Come to one, come to all, come have fun and support GSP!

Current Day PSA

Short, simple and to the point, get tested!

Remember, VD is for Everyone!

Great PSA for back in the day, when STD were VD.

What is Trich (Trichomoniasis)? STD Spotlight

Trichomoniasis, commonly referred to as trich, is caused by a parasite. According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), it is “the most common curable STD in young sexually active women.” New cases of trich affect an estimated 7.4 million women and men each year in the United States.

How is trich transmitted?

Trich is passed through penis-to-vagina intercourse or vulva-to-vulva (area outside the vagina) with an infected partner. In men, the site of the infection is usually the urethra (urine canal). For women, the most common area of infection is the vagina.

While women get trich from either men or women, men usually are infected by women.

What are the symptoms of trich?

When women have symptoms of this infection, they appear within five to twenty-eight days of transmission. Symptoms include an odorous, frothy, yellow-green vaginal discharge. Women may also experience discomfort during urination and intercourse. The genital area may also itch. In a few cases, lower abdominal pain has also been noted. Pregnant women with this infection may have babies with low birth weight (less than 5.5 pounds) and pre-term babies.

Many men that have been infected with trich have no symptoms. When signs do occur, they take the form of burning after urination or ejaculation, mild discharge, and irritation inside the penis.

How is trich diagnosed?

To diagnose trich in men and women, a physical exam and lab test is performed. For women, the vaginal wall or cervix is checked for small red sores.

What is the treatment?

A single dose, given orally of metronidazole or tinidazole, usually can cure trich.

If a man has never been treated for trich, he can continue to pass or re-infect female partners, even if he has never have symptoms. Therefore, it is recommended that all sexual partners are treated at the same time to eliminate re-infection. Those with trich should stop sexual activity until treatment is completed and they are non-symptomatic.

Pregnant women can use metronidazole to treat their infection.

Is there a link between trich and HIV?

Having trich may increase the likelihood that an HIV-positive woman can pass HIV to her sexual partner(s). Also, if the genital area is inflamed by trich, it can increase a woman’s susceptibility to HIV, if she is exposed to the virus.

How can trich be prevented?

The most effective way to prevent trich is to abstain from sexual activity or to be in a monogamous relationship with a partner that has tested negative for the infection. Also, the correct use of latex male condoms reduces the risk for getting trich.

Adapted from the CDC Fact Sheet on Trichomoniasis

Gearing Up for AIDS Walk 2010

First of all, a big shout out to Chuck Franks, my first on-line donor for AIDS Walk. Thanks so much Chuck.

I am so excited to be walking with Team GSP in 22nd Annual AIDS Walk in Kansas City. Last year, Team GSP was the seventh team in overall fundraising. In 2009, 4,000 walkers raised $432,000 to support the AIDS Service Organizations (Good Samaritan Project, Hope Care Center, SAVE, Inc. and KC Free). These funds assist in keeping our doors open so we can continue to provide care, advocacy, and education for those living with or at-risk for HIV.

AIDS Walk is a great time to come together and remember those who have lost their battle to AIDS. It is also a great time to celebrate those living with HIV. Come and be a part of this great community event. AIDS Walk will be on April 24th at Theis Park in Kansas City, MO.

Want to support me as a walker? Visit http://www.firstgiving.com/thebuckreport

Is Two Condoms Better Than One?

Actually, using two condoms is less effective than one condom. Wearing two condoms creates friction and this friction can create tears in both condoms allowing for fluids to escape. Since friction is not a friend to condoms, reduce friction by using a water-based lube. Do not use oil-base lubes as they break down latex and weaken the condom.

Some other tips about condoms:
· Condoms have an expiration date. Carefully look at the date before use.
· Condoms should be stored at room temperature. Storing condoms in glove boxes, wallets and other areas that expose a condom to extremes in heat and cold weakens the condom.
· If you (or your partner) are allergic to latex, choose polyurethane condoms. Natural skin condoms are not recommend for the prevention of HIV and other sexually transmitted infections.

Be safe this Valentine’s Day. Use a condom EVERY time.

Is “O Canada” Falling on Deaf Ears?

Sandra Ka Hon Chu, Senior Policy Analyst for the Canadian HIV/AIDS Legal Network issued a 42-page report on the need for needle-exchange programs within the prison system. Titled Under the Skin, this report was complied from testimonials from current and former prisoners that shared needles and syringes while incarcerated.

Ka Hon Chu, noted “The scientific evidence and legal justifications for prison-based needle and syringe programs have long been established – including in our report from last year, Clean Switch – yet still the Canadian government will not implement these proven health services.”

The aim of these needle exchange programs is to stop the spread of diseases such as HIV and Hepatitis C and may have benefits to the average Canadian tax payer. Medical treatment for a prisoner with HIV is $29,000 yearly and $22,000 for Hepatitis C. Considering that prisoners are affected by HIV and Hepatitis C at a rate that is 10 to 20 percent higher than the general public, the ramifications for ignoring this problem comes with a significant public health and financial price tag.

Given the many negative impacts of ignoring this information, why are governments not implementing the recommended changes? Perhaps, because of the changes it would require from everyone, from elected officials to the average citizen. We would have to admit to drug use (not to mention sexual activity) occurs within prisons and this drug use transmits HIV and other diseases. We would have to admit that protecting the health of prisoners is not a job that can be performed by prison guards and wardens alone, but requires support of the general public. Protecting the health of children and grandmothers is a platform that wins votes for officials seeking reelection. Campaigning with the position of providing free (paid by tax-payers) needles to incarcerated individuals is political suicide.

If we want the spread of HIV (and other diseases) to stop, following the scientific evidence is paramount. Unlike so many other diseases, we have all the tools (clean needles, condoms) to prevent HIV. Creating access to these tools, regardless of the location of the individual, will lower infection rates. However, this is just one buck's opinion.

Adapted from Top News

Can HIV Be Transmitted By Oral Sex?

A common question I get while presenting at high schools is “can HIV be transmitted by oral sex?” While the mouth is an inhospitable environment for HIV (enzymes in saliva break down HIV), there are documented cases of HIV transmitted through oral sex. All of these cases have been attributed to the ejaculation of semen into the mouth (not pre-semen or vaginal fluid).

Oral sex is a lower risk activity than anal or vaginal sex for HIV. However, many other sexually transmitted infections (STIs) are transmitted orally, including chlamydia, gonorrhea, herpes, human papilloma virus (HPV), nongonococcal urethrtis (NGU), syphilis, and yeast infections. Many of these STIs are have no or few symptoms and individuals will not know they are infected.

Know your status and reduce your risk for STIs. Good Samaritan Project provides free and confidential testing for HIV, gonorrhea, and chlamydia. Call today (816) 561-8784.

Information in this post was adapted from the San Francisco AIDS Foundation

New Math or Dang! Some People are Wicked Smart

I’ve already finished this month’s book selection (it’s so good, I couldn’t stop reading!) and came across this equation

[CstdFstd(t) + (1-FSTD(t)] [CccFcc(t) + (1-Fcc(t)] Pf_mX1V1 (t) (1-C1(t)) [Y3 / (X3 + Y3]

This formula calculates the chance that a client will get HIV from a sex worker. Who says math is boring?

Book of the Month: The Wisdom of Whores

Book of the Month: The Wisdom of Whores: Bureaucrats, Brothels and the Business of AIDS by Elizabeth Pisani

Pisani’s swashbuckling wit takes no prisoners as she exposes both those who think AIDS can be prevented by preaching abstinence to sex workers and those who see AIDS as a development problem or who try to apply frameworks of privacy developed in the gay bathhouses of San Francisco to the rest of the world, Pisani makes clear, lives are lost because both governments and nongovernmental organizations wish to avoid the fact that people continue to pursue pleasure in defiance of common sense. (from the front jacket flap)

This book takes a hard look at how global prevention and treatment for HIV fails more than it succeeds and costs more than you ever thought possible. Join us in reading The Wisdom of Whores: Bureaucrats, Brothels and the Business of AIDS by Elizabeth Pisani. Guest bloggers Caroline Wheatley and Megan Brokaw will be joining me on February 26th to share their insights as professionals in field of HIV.

Welcome Guest Blogger Caroline Wheatley!

There are only 135 days before the World Cup in South Africa begins! Alright, so not everyone is counting down the days for this unprecedented event held for the first time on the African continent. But those who work in the HIV field have had this day on their radar for years.

While some critics have been focusing on the security and infrastructure concerns about this year’s World Cup destination, public health officials are wondering how this event will impact the spread of HIV in South Africa and the continent as a whole. In 2006 I met a researcher from Zimbabwe while working in Swaziland (which borders South Africa) on HIV Education. This man was highly concerned about the potential increase in the spread of HIV during the soccer tournament. Since West, East, and Sub Saharan Africans each have a different strain of HIV, he proposed that the potential for transmission of different strains was highly probable, making it likely for people who are already positive to be reinfected with a different strain. This would lead to a super strain of HIV that could also be highly resistant to medications. To put this in perspective, in Swaziland in 2007 there were only three different HAART regimens available in the country. Therefore, if resistant strains of HIV become prevalent, people will likely have little to no remaining form of treatment, making an already devastating health crisis even worse.

The concern about the spread of HIV during the World Cup has some South Africans turning to policy to affect changes that might help empower a specific population: sex workers. Activists are pushing for the decriminalization of sex workers, an agenda that was started seven years ago and has found another push with the upcoming tournament. The changes are thought to empower sex workers to negotiate for condom use and would reduce abuse of sex workers.

Sex work activists are not the only ones taking advantage of this international event to get the word out on HIV. Stakeholders in South Africa have been meeting with government officials and FIFA’s marketing team to use the exposure of the event to expand HIV education across the country and continent. Plans include massive advertisements and campaigns lasting the whole year, not just during the several weeks of tournament play. To read more about South Africa’s response to HIV during the world cup, check out these links: http://allafrica.com/stories/200912040669.html http://www.irinnews.org/report.aspx?ReportId=87109

Spotlight on Project Hopeful

Since the earthquake in Haiti last week, some of the press has focused on the challenges of children orphaned by natural disasters. I started thinking about the thousands of children around the world that have been orphaned due to AIDS and may be HIV positive themselves. How difficult are their adoption journeys? There is an organization that makes these journeys a little easier: Meet Project Hopeful.
Project Hopeful encourages, educates, and enables families seeking international adoptions of HIV positive children. The organization assists families through immigration challenges, including the 1601 waiver process (waiver for a variety of things, including HIV). This organization was founded by a mother (Carolyn Twietmeyer) that adopted a sibling group from Ethiopia, including a child with HIV. Carolyn and her family also adopted a child that was at the end stage of AIDS. The other founder is Leslie Raneri, a single mother of two adopted HIV positive children, one from Ethiopia and one from Haiti. Check out their amazing stories at www.projecthopeful.org

Book of the Month - My Pet Virus

“I can be laid-back about my lot in life because I realize that I was destined for a life of medical drama from day one. I was born in the month of July, and my horoscope sign is a disease (Cancer). The symbol for Cancer? A crab (the sexually transmitted critter). Not only that, my parents named me Shawn Timothy Decker, which makes my initials S.T.D.”

Shawn Decker in his autobiography My Pet Virus: The True Story of a Rebel Without a Cure, examines his life with HIV. Diagnosed in 1987 at the age of 11 and given two years to live, Shawn survived beyond all expectations. Now married, Shawn and his wife travel the country speaking about staying HIV-negative while in a relationship with a HIV-positive person.

Although he uses humor, Shawn writes very frankly about his bouts with HIV/AIDS related illnesses and the stigma of living with the disease. This book is great read for anyone looking for a way to laugh in the face of adversity, while embracing reality.