Friends Offering Respect & Understanding for H

Hi! We're BOBBY and MARTY and we're the two guys behind this page.
BOBBY lives in Lancaster, PA, and MARTY lives in Birmingham, AL.
This is BOBBY
and this is MARTY
BOBBY is HIV positive and MARTY is HIV negative. We wanted to take a little bit of time to tell you about us and why we've decided to do this page. If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to ask.
Here's our Mission Statement:
Friends Offering Respect & Understanding for HIV (ForU4HIV) is an organization that is dedicated to the informational, emotional, and educational support of persons infected and affected by HIV/AIDS. Our hope is to be the one stop resource for HIV information, awareness, and referrals on all levels. Our goal is to create a haven where everyone is treated like a friend. We will strive to offer supportive HIV services to all people regardless of their HIV status by offering information on a personal level with respect and individuality, free of stigma and intimidation.
This is our story as told by BOBBY.
I was diagnosed with HIV in January of 2002. At the time it had been many, many years since I had been tested because I thought it ‘would never happen to me’. Shortly after I was tested positive I found out that I had full blown AIDS. That’s when my entire world came crashing in. My t-cells were at a low 21 and my viral load was 1,000,000+. I got extremely sick and was hospitalized about ten times that year. I ended up contracting PCP Pneumonia, my lung collapsed because of it, which resulted in me having lung surgery to remove the lower part of my right lung so my lung would heal properly.
Since 2002 I have had many ups and downs with my illness. I’ve gone through extreme personal changes in my life. I’ve been as depressed as I could imagine I would ever get and, at times, I’ve been happier than I thought I ever could be.
In 2004 I contracted Cryptosporidium, which is a bacterial infection of the intestines. I became very ill and was hospitalized for a month and a half. After I recovered, I vowed to do whatever I had to do to live a healthy and constructive life no matter what level my health had reached. I’ve been challenged by days of depression. I’ve been challenged by my lack of motivation and lack of fulfillment in my life. Although I’ve had great support from family and friends, it was up to me to make the necessary changes in my life to live a positive and productive life.
In November of 2005 as I was visiting a friend’s page on MySpace I came across a young man by the name of Marty (aka Free Soul) who had recently been diagnosed with a rare form of Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma Cancer. I read his page thoroughly and with lots of interest. After realizing how old Marty was (at the time he was 26) and understanding the severity of his condition, I realized that I had a lot to be thankful for. I had gotten through some serious medical issues due to HIV/AIDS. I had medicine, my numbers were up, and I had a great doctor. I had friends and family that loved me. I had a great apartment. I had a lot to be thankful for.
I contacted Marty and immediately we forged a friendship that I never imagined I could have. Although Marty was suffering through this rare form of cancer, he was one of the most positive and encouraging people I had ever talked to. He rarely expressed moments of pain or fear and suddenly he was my source of inspiration. We were corresponding daily and his emails became the reason why I got out of bed each day. Before I met Marty I had turned to my bed where I’d sleep for days at a time. Now, because of Marty, I felt like I had a reason to get up and live.
Soon after that Marty and I started communicating regularly on the phone and since then we’ve talked just about every single day, sometimes more than once.
Little did I know it, but I, too, had become a source of inspiration for Marty. Yes, he was dealing with cancer and I was dealing with HIV/AIDS but we still had so much in common. We could talk about our symptoms, our fears, our hopes, our dilemmas, our depression and more than anything we could just talk about life. We talked about family, we talked about friends; we talked about careers, we talked about our dreams. We had so much in common. Marty went through chemotherapy AND radiation therapy and was a trooper the entire time. Every single day I was amazed at his resilience and his attitude. I’m telling you, he rarely ever showed negative emotions. I mean, yes, he’s human and he had his bad days. Most of all though, Marty was a symbol of hope and a symbol of LIFE.
Marty learned a lot about HIV/AIDS and I learned a lot about Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma Cancer. We knew that someway somehow we wanted to help others the way we had helped one another.
Here's a significant update about Marty's cancer as of July 13, 2006--- After a long week of tests at MD Anderson Cancer Hospital in Houston, TX, Marty found out that he is now CANCER FREE! Congratulations to Marty! You're a role model and an example of courage and inspiration for all of us!
Way to go MARTY!!! :)
Ok, so back to our story.
Our first project is this page. We’re not experts on HIV/AIDS but I am living with the illness. I can speak from experience and I can refer you to many resources as to where to get vital HIV/AIDS information. Marty, on the other hand, is HIV negative, so he can give a perspective from that side of the fence. Marty’s another set of eyes and has great ideas that we will continue to focus on as we develop this page.
In reference to Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma Cancer Awareness, Marty and I are in the process of putting together something else a little different than this; something we’ll share with each of you when we’ve reached that point.
As far as me, my t-cells are currently at 356 (which is above the Advanced HIV stage of 200) and my viral load is now undetectable (this info is as of September 1, 2006). I am very pleased with these numbers right now. I am on a detailed medicine regimen that will hopefully keep my numbers rising.
For now, though, we’re going to continue focusing on this page and we’re going to continue reaching out to all people in all places. HIV/AIDS is a horrible disease for any person to deal with. Yes there are lots of medicines out there that can help those infected live longer productive lives, yet that does not eliminate the infections and illnesses that still develop; it does not eliminate all of the side effects that the medicines create. It does not eliminate the stigma with HIV/AIDS. It does not eliminate the problems that still exist. The list could go on and on and on.
Let’s do what we can to educate our brother’s and sisters. It’s possible to save lives just by sharing educational information.
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