In 2005, Greg weighed a mere 108 lbs. One morning, he got out of the shower, looked in the mirror, and realized he was just skin and bones.
“When I came in for help, I had 29 T cells left. It took me 5 years to get my weight and T cell count up to a safe level, which is about in the 300 range,” said Greg. “They made it clear to me that I was diagnosed with AIDS, not HIV.”
His low weight and poor heath made it impossible for him to have the strength and stamina needed to go to work every day and he was forced to resign from his job at a local nonprofit. While he tried to find another job to pay his bills, he ended up in an even more physically challenging work environment and pushed his body beyond its limits.
“I had a heart attack on the job. You don’t get to that point and just bounce back—you need to regain your strength and health first.”
When Greg first connected with Lifelong, the top priority was getting him on medication to manage his AIDS, which his medical case manager accomplished within a matter of days. Since the medication used to be so expensive, we also helped him get on a program that supports clients with medication costs.
Once Greg’s AIDS treatment was under way, his case manager connected him to our housing program for rental-assistance, our food and nutrition program, Chicken Soup Brigade, for getting nutritious food delivered right to his door, our dental program so he could get much-needed dental work with a dentist properly trained to treat patients living with HIV, and our employment services to provide job search assistance once Greg was well enough to return to work.
“I don’t know if people realize this, but Lifelong is like a social service clearing house for all kinds of support,” said Greg.
Today, Greg’s T cell count is within a healthy range and he just celebrated his 68th birthday.
“It’s not great to get AIDS, but I will not cry and let it ruin me. I can’t be that way. It’s too depressing,” said Greg. “I would not be alive today without Lifelong’s help. That’s not an exaggeration—that’s the truth.”