My name is John. I was diagnosed with the virus in 1989. It was hard when I first was diagnosed because I didn't want to deal with it. So, I was in denial for a number of years. My lifestyles didn't coordinate well. You can't use drugs and play sports, and I was a jock. I was an athlete. So, something had to give.
Medication has allowed me to live that extra life. I feel just as good todayÑand I say this seriouslyÑas I did 35 years ago.
I would tell someone just diagnosed, don't give up. It's not as bad as it seems. I think, once you settle in with the idea that you know that you're positive, it will be come a little bit easier for you.
Finding out that I was positiveÑat that point, I didn't think that they could save my life. Five, 10 years down the line, I'm looking at what has just happenedÉwould I have gone back to school had I been diagnosedÉ kinda iffy. Would I have gotten married if I was diagnosed?Ékinda iffy. But I started to do things that, quote-unquote, normal people do. That's how it changed my life, for the best.
The friends that I met were going places, were doing things, were people in school furthering their education, taking care of their families, and being responsible adults?
I joke. I laugh. I believe humor has been the biggest piece that has helped me out through whole this thing, through this whole process. Even from day 1 til now. And the people that I hang with let me know that. Like, "why are you so pleasant?," you know? "You've got so much going on but nothing really bothers you." And I hold on to that.