On January 18, 2015, I completed my first full marathon in Phoenix.
It wasn’t easy because statistics told me Natives have the shortest life
span after HIV infection.
Back in 2002 when I was diagnosed with HIV and Hepatitis C in
Phoenix, my health was at a border between HIV and AIDS. I was
immediately taken to a Native AIDS support group. To this day, I am the
only one from that group who is still alive.
Born and raised on the San Carlos Apache Reservation in Arizona, I
never thought a tribal would get AIDS. Education was extremely limited
about the virus. Rumors were rampant when the virus was discovered, and I
remember looking for red or purple spots on my body thinking it was
Kaposi’s Sarcoma, a disease AIDS patients got in the early days.
Read more at http://indiancountrytodaymedianetwork.com/2015/01/23/native-aids-survivor-activist-runs-marathon-we-can-run-marathons-too-158837
Labels: Coinfection, Native Amercans, Personal Stories