‘People Think It’s Over’
Spared Death, Aging People With H.I.V. Struggle to Live
There's a must-read article in the New York Times about people living longterm with HIV, many of whom had already planned their deaths, but now face uncertain futures minus the friends who were there for them when they got the original "death sentence." Although new drugs have literally been miracles for many, their longterm effects on patients' bodies are just now coming to light.
“Suddenly the future seemed like this long, empty road going toward the horizon, and I felt like, what am I gonna do with my life now?” Steve Schalchlin, 59, said the other day, still marveling at the turn of events. “I had already accomplished all my goals that I had set for myself. And now I had this endless amount of time ahead of me, and I felt depressed.”Read HERE.
2 comments:
hey Kenny,
Thanks for posting John Lelands article, it rings so true for me. My roommates are both in different stages of this long struggle and there are no easy answers. Least of all for me, the guilt of being negative is overwhelming at times.
Cramer
Thanks Kenneth, for posting a link to this article.I'm 51 (turning 52 in two weeks) and never thought I'd be around this long. I've lost two partners, and many friends, to AIDS. I ran up all my credit cards in the early 90's, and have only recently dug myself out of this hole. Hearing younger gay men calling themselves "clean" or "bug-free" hurts every time. I miss my partner Bruce, and I still talk to him every day. (He died in '97.) I've been on meds for hiv and depression for so many years, I don't remember a time where I didn't take a handfull of pills every morning and evening. Sometimes, in my depression, I think my friends who have passed on were the lucky ones.
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