Joe's POZ Blog

My name is Joe and I have been living with HIV for 20 years. I am a 50-year-old gay male, living with my poz partner, Stephen, of 5 years, along with our 3 dogs and 2 cats in the hurricane-weary state of Florida. I tested positive in March of 1985 and was essentially told to go home, make my final plans and await the end. I was fortunate in that I participated in the original AZT drug trials in 86 and AZT helped to maintain my health for the years required, until new medications came along. By 1995, my health had declined dramatically and I was forced to quit working. Somehow I managed to hang on until the first Protease Inhibitors were introduced in 96 and was fortunate that these new drugs were able to halt the severe decline in my health. So here I am today, 20 years later, much older and I hope, a little wiser.

I am pleased to have this opportunity to share some of my life with you. If the years of living with HIV have taught me anything, it is that you need to advocate for yourself and form a solid, working relationship with your doctor. I lived through the early years of this plague and experienced too much heartache to even fathom. Funeral homes that refused to bury AIDS patients. Needing to have candlelight vigils for multiples of our departed friends, because not enough churches would allow for AIDS memorial services. I have buried too many friends to even count. Yet, among this carnage, I met dozens of people, who showed amazing compassion and remained defiant until the bitter end. I witnessed many incredible events that were instrumental in making me the man that I am today. I have lived to see some of the worst and best that this pandemic has experienced.

It is my hope that through this Blog you will be inspired, informed and challenged to enjoy all that you can in life. I have been blessed to share my life with so many wonderful people and each one left an imprint on me. I hope my experiences, opinions and even tirades, will encourage meaningful discussion on issues that are important to the HIV community. We are all in this together. I invite you to join me on a journey. Come share my world!

Good Health,

Joe Killfoile