Celebrate!!! Nineteen Years of Running with HIV.....

 

On November 13th 1988, I learned that I was HIV positive. In 1993, I was officially diagnosed with AIDS. Since then, I've been fighting to make certain that the disease doesn't beat me. Running has been crucial to my battle & on 11/17/07 I finished my 100th foot race of marathon length (26.2 miles) or greater; an accomplishment that exemplifies that it is possible to thrive even in the face of an HIV or AIDS diagnosis. 

 

To help celebrate this milestone, I decided give back to the HIV community that has helped support me for the past 19 years by raising funds for the AIDS Foundation Houston (AFH) as part of my participation in my 19th Houston Marathon.

 

Summary of the results of my fundraising campaign

 

Larry’s (Ultra)marathon Fun facts (as of Nov. 2007):

·        first marathon was in 1986

·        sixty-seven marathons completed

·        nineteen 50Ks completed

·        eleven 50 milers completed

·        two 100Ks completed

·        one 100 miler completed

·        races in 20 states so far and one foreign country

·        70 races in the Lone Star State

·        Fifteen of my marathons were sub-three hour finishes...those were the days!

 

  

Below is a list of “Larry’s Not-so-fun Facts” which demonstrate that my battle has not been easy (nor is it over) and that globally, nationally, and locally we have a long way to go to beat this epidemic.  I’m also listing a few examples of AFH’s efforts in the Houston area.

 

Larry’s Not-so-fun Facts:

·        Since my diagnosis with HIV in 1988 and AIDS in 1993, my challenges have included:

o       Recurrent shingles

o       CMV retinitis in 1994; treated for nearly 2 years with daily IV anti-virals and ultimately, I lost my right eye

o       HIV treatment-associated hyperlipidemia (elevated cholesterol and triglycerides)

o       Lipoatrophy (loss of fat from my face and limbs) resulting in the stigmatized “face of AIDS”

o       Avascular necrosis in my right hip (loss of blood supply to the head of the femur) in 2005; a surgical procedure called “core decompression” has (at least temporarily) reversed the bone death

o       An HIV-associated cancer in 2007; treated with five weeks of radiation and chemotherapy (and consequently, suppressed immunity to an AIDS-defining level)

·        Globally: Although the percentage of people living with HIV has now leveled off, in 2007 33.2 million people were estimated to be living with HIV, 2.5 million people became newly infected and 2.1 million people died of AIDS. AIDS is among the leading causes of death globally and remains the primary cause of death in Africa.  The treatments that have made the disease “manageable” in the Western world are not available to most of those infected globally.

·        Nationally: An estimated 1 million persons are living with HIV; of these, approximately 25 percent are unaware of their HIV infection and at risk for infecting others.

·        Locally:  1,000 persons were diagnosed with AIDS in Harris County, Texas in 2006 and over 18,000 persons are living with AIDS.

 

How AIDS Foundation Houston helps:

·        685,104 meals will be served this year through the AFH Stone Soup Food Assistance

·        154,000 teaching moments are conducted annually

·        $75,000 was distributed to three local HIV/AIDS prevention education organizations this year

·        50,000 individuals are reached annually through various AFH HIV prevention education campaigns

·        $10,000 is the maximum annual income of 85% of AFH clients...

·        6,000 men, women, and children with HIV/AIDS have been served by AFH in 2006

·        5,000 toys are collected during the holidays for infected/affected children as part of the AFH Red Ribbon Toy Drive

·        500 HIV-positive youth participate in annual camps in Texas, Botswana, Romania and Malawi through AFH's Camp Continuum of Care program

·        400 AFH volunteers provide services equivalent to nine full-time staff

·        83% of the participants at AFH's Project A Friendly Haven, a residence for homeless women with HIV and their families, secured permanent, stable housing after exiting the program during the last year

·        74% of participants of the job trainee program either found employment or entered college as part of Project LifeRoad, which addresses homelessness among PLWH

·        67 Texas prisons are currently being served through AFH's Wall Talk Prison Initiative

·        25 federal and state grants are administered by AFH annually

·        11 volunteer driven programs are conducted each year by AFH.

 

Help AFH by Participating in or contributing to the AIDS Walk Houston !!!