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Ride Reflection 1: Every morning and every evening of the ride
provided educational stats and stories to stretch our minds. Stigma was
a big topic. One story of a fellow rider took my original mission to a
deeper level. His name is Dwayne Carl, 48, from Redondo Beach. During
his 10 years with HIV, he has also had to deal with discrimination.
Many of his friends and family members rejected him. He was fired
because of his HIV positive status and had to fight eviction from his
apartment. Dwayne went from an 8 T-cell count and neuropathy at the
point of his diagnosis to riding along side of me for the long trek from
SF to LA. He is also fighting the HIV stigma by self-publishing a
book, Out of my Second Closet, about his experience.
Nelson Mandela lost his son to AIDS and encour
ages talking about HIV/AIDS so that "people will stop regarding it as something extraordinary." Interesting way to put it.
If you recall from my first posting, I initially started this because
of a friend living with HIV in silence. I tried to think of the perfect
day to ride for him. As I rode in the cold rain last Monday, with tiny
water beads stinging my face and mud being splashed on me from the big
trucks on the route - I knew that was the day for my friend "R". This
was the only day I worried about my safety - as I wondered if the raging
big rigs next to me could even see me.
If the positive example
that each of us can achieve (I've seen it so I know it can) - can allow
my friend and others be able to say "I am HIV positive" in a world that
WE have made safe for this courage, then we will be opening a lot of
second closets and encouraging many to get the help they need. So my
ongoing reflection for my future will be something like "How safe is my
world for others?". I pray I will recognize when I become a big rig
splashing mud and slow down to allow someone to feel safe and cared for
in their battle with HIV.
As far as stigma - God help us. No
one should have to hide their HIV status, but I realize from a practical
sense that, yes, today most still do.
To my Monday honoree, R, I hope you felt the warmth of the garbage bags and mylar in the midst of the cold.
If you recall from my first posting, I initially started this because of a friend living with HIV in silence. I tried to think of the perfect day to ride for him. As I rode in the cold rain last Monday, with tiny water beads stinging my face and mud being splashed on me from the big trucks on the route - I knew that was the day for my friend "R". This was the only day I worried about my safety - as I wondered if the raging big rigs next to me could even see me.
If the positive example that each of us can achieve (I've seen it so I know it can) - can allow my friend and others be able to say "I am HIV positive" in a world that WE have made safe for this courage, then we will be opening a lot of second closets and encouraging many to get the help they need. So my ongoing reflection for my future will be something like "How safe is my world for others?". I pray I will recognize when I become a big rig splashing mud and slow down to allow someone to feel safe and cared for in their battle with HIV.
As far as stigma - God help us. No one should have to hide their HIV status, but I realize from a practical sense that, yes, today most still do.
To my Monday honoree, R, I hope you felt the warmth of the garbage bags and mylar in the midst of the cold.
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