I am so thrilled to be signed up for AIDS/Lifecycle 2022, and hope to be riding across the finish line next June into a whole new world of strength, hope, and freedom from the cloud of fear the pandemic has brought.

This year, more than ever, the need for resources to help those struggling to stay healthy, dealing with HIV/AIDS, addiction and aging, is bigger than ever, and my goal for now is to raise $10,000, but I can't do it alone! Please join me in my goal and donate whatever you can. $18, $25 or more. We love those multiples of 18, because in Hebrew, the word for "life" is symbolized by the number 18. How about $57, for my 57th birthday September 30, 2021?

About me: 
I was infected with HIV in 1983, and tested positive for it in 1987. I moved to San Francisco in 1990 and started taking AZT in the end of that year. By 1992, though, it felt wrong in my bones to take such a toxic drug, so I went off it. Later came years with no medications at all, or experimental ones like Compound-Q (I was in a clinical trial for it, and it was awful, giving me flu like symptoms for days after the infusion), Ozone Rectal Insufflation (don't ask, or do...), Beet Crystals, Yoga, Applied Kinesiology, Loving Myself (Louise Hay & the Hayrides), Marianne Williamson, Radiant Light Ministries, The Healing Circle, Retreats, Ma Jaya & Hinduism -- all of that before and with the oncoming drug "cocktails" that ended up saving my life.

So, by 2022, I will have had HIV for almost 40 years, Gee Whiz! And I'm turning 57 September 30th, so that means I've lived with HIV a lot longer than without. A LOT!

I am and have been extremely fortunate to have had access, for the most part, to excellent medical care and medication. There were years when I would have to hide my condition in order to not have my HIV infection deemed a "pre-existing" condition. So much has changed, so much good has happened, and so much ignorance has been healed along with the repair of so many immune systems. But much work remains. I am counting on you to help in this vital task of fixing access to medical care & fixing ignorance. Please give and give generously.

What have we got ourselves into?
From May 31st to June 6th, over 3,000 Cyclists, Roadies and Virtual Cyclists will be participating in AIDS/LifeCycle, a 545-mile bike ride from San Francisco to Los Angeles to raise funds for the life-saving services offered by San Francisco AIDS Foundation and the Los Angeles LGBT Center. This year, I’ll be one of them! My participation number is 2932

Tax Breaks Info:
AIDS/LifeCycle benefits, and is jointly produced by, San Francisco AIDS Foundation (Tax ID # 94-2927405) and the Los Angeles LGBT Center (Tax ID # 95-3567895), each of which is a nonprofit, public benefit corporation recognized as tax exempt under IRS Code Section 501(c)(3). Donations to AIDS/LifeCycle fundraising pages are deductible for income tax purposes, to the extent permitted by law.

What your donation does:
• $10,000 helps provide counseling services for more than 250 clients.
• $5,000 helps keep the HIV testing RV rolling for one year.
• $2,500 helps four HIV-positive people receive stable housing for one month.
• $1,000 helps provide two Community Education Forums where 150 individuals can learn more about HIV.
• $250 helps provide ten rapid HIV antibody tests at a testing site.
• $175 helps provide case management for 15 HIV-positive clients who are homeless.
• $150 helps provide 1,000 syringes through the street-based Syringe Access Services.
• $100 helps provide the travel cost for a Treatment Advocacy Coordinator to attend the medical appointments of 25 clients, provide moral support, and help clients advocate for themselves.
• $25 helps a financial benefits counselor assist one person in navigating the private and public benefits systems.
• $10 helps provide 143 condoms to the SFAF and LA LGBT Center's service sites.

Ride love live is a wonderful motto to live by, ride by, and love by. XOXO,