Marcus young moments in time12/2/2023 FIGHT is a Pennsylvania non-profit corporation, and is recognized by the IRS as a 501 (c) (3) non-profit. Always discuss treatment options with a doctor who specializes in treating HIV. It is not meant to be a substitute for the advice provided by your own physician or other medical professionals. It is often presented in summary or aggregate form. All information contained on this website, including information relating to health conditions, products, and treatments, is for informational purposes only. There's contemporary Jazz, swing jazz, jazz fusion, latin jazz, and a few. presents published material, reprinted with permission and neither endorses nor opposes any material. Breaking age, language and religious barriers. This site contains HIV prevention messages that may not be appropriate for all audiences. No one will be denied access to services due to inability to pay, and there is a discounted/sliding fee schedule available based on family size and income. If you hide your story then it can become ugly and dark, but if you share it, it opens up a light for you and others.Īll FIGHT programs and services are offered regardless of gender, race, color, sex, religious beliefs, national origin, sexual orientation, gender identity, or insurance status. Sharing my story helps me let others know that they’re not alone and that life is worth living. People should come to FIGHT because you’ll be treated like a human being with dignity and respect. I would tell them that life isn’t over and that they have so much to live for the sky’s the limit. Seize the moment and live every day as if it’s a gift. My advice to someone diagnosed at a young age like me would be to figure out what you want in life and go after it. It has always been a wish of mine to be Dr. I also want to earn a Doctorate or at least a Masters. Today I feel more empowered, secure, and blessed. I decided that having HIV was never going to be the end of the world for me. Twenty years later, I’m back as a Peer Educator and it still makes me feel good to know that my information is helping others. That was important back then because there weren’t many taking on that role. I went out into the city and gave out information about HIV/AIDS. TEACH was a safe space where we could be open with each other about our diagnosis.Īfter graduating from TEACH, I became a Peer Educator. That was a life-changing experience that gave me lots of information and friendships. Being only 16, I didn’t fully understand the information that was given to me.Įventually I came to FIGHT and became one of the first graduates of Project TEACH. There was no official name for AIDS at that time. She told me about a plague that was ravaging gay people. In 1979, I saw a doctor who noticed white patches on my neck that turned out to be a fungus. As a teenager, I was out as a gay man and already sexually active. My sexuality was the only power I had and I refused to let others take that away from me. ![]() I grew up in a time where you lived your life how you were told to. I have lived in Philadelphia practically all of my life.
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