Submitted by Albert (not verified) on March | 24 | 2012.
Hi Tree, this is Albert - we shared a ride on the BART from the San Fran airport. The text didn't go through so i had no way to contact you. But i found this webpage and i just want to say this is truly inspiring and I have tremendous respect for what you are doing. Be well and take care of yourself. Keep up the good work.
Submitted by kells (not verified) on August | 7 | 2011.
Hello Tree this is good friend of yours from BK. You are so brave to tell you story.When u came to NYC and visited me with C.B.A. i knew you had your head on straight. I wish you nothing but blessings and great health! Please keep in touch if you can! XOXO
Submitted by Mary Ellen (not verified) on February | 24 | 2011.
Hi There... I met you at World AIDS Day events back in November/December 2010. Hope you are doing well... your story is amazing! You are truly an inspiration to all.
Submitted by Michael A. dorsey (not verified) on December | 8 | 2010.
Tree,
I would like to commend you on a wonderful and inspiring story about your life journey. You are a gift from God, one of his angels. Keep up the work around HIV/AIDS. If any time your are in the Philadelphia area, lunch or dinner is on me. Your are a "STAR" in my book. (Success through Accepting Responsibility)!
I'm one of the new spokesmodel for Va. I must say that you being so young is an inspiration to all. We need to let people know that this isn't going to beat us, as long as we're willing to fight and stand up for our ourselves. You keep up the good work.
Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on April | 6 | 2010.
I read most of the blogs on the body and have never felt compelled to message any of the authors as I did with you. I guess I found a lot of parallels between our stories and just wanted to see how you've come to terms with your diagnosis. I've gone from not talking about it or believing it, to helping my partner understand it, and later having a breakdown and then finally picking the pieces back up and putting myself back together again. I have come a long way though. I definitely still have things I need to work on.
From time to time I feel really bad for myself and feel like this should have never happened to me. Do you go through this? I guess, I'm trying to see if the things I am going through are "normal" (whatever normal means). I still haven't found the strength to let my family know that I'm positive. They are still dealing with me being gay (even though they have known for about eight years) and always told me when I was younger that if I was gay that I was going to get AIDS and die. So, having to tell them that I got HIV I feel will be a bit too much for them to handle at the moment. Have you overcome this obstacle yet? If so, do you have any words of advice for disclosing to one's family?
Well, I think we all have a long way to go to feel completely comfortable and self assured in life. Yes, how you feel is a normal phase of finding yourself along with this new aspect of your health. I did experience heartaches and pain, abandonment and fear, a long with so many other factors going on in my life. After all I had already experienced in life, I did not have the energy to deal with more. I couldn’t bear to hold those feelings inside.
When it comes to my bisexuality, I guess I forced my family to accept my life style. LOL. I remember when I was 14 and I brought my boyfriend to my family reunion, I thought “the straight people don’t have to “COME-OUT,” so why do I?” They never had to have a special conversation with the family about the choices they made. I was always into acting as a career and I think that helped me get passed the looks and the stares from the family. I was so used to being judged that when I got around my family, I was still center stage. That’s why I say “before I was an ACTOR; now I’m a PRODUCER.” I spent so much time acting, there was very little time to just live. I was demonstrating to my family that my life was not just a choice or a phase but an ultimate part of ME. My lifestyle is something very natural, hardly like those bad images from TV and stories of the past.
In terms of you or anyone disclosing to family, I think, that this should be done when you're mentally ready for their reactions (whatever that may be). Also if you don't trust your family or feel they can handle it, then you should search for support elsewhere. If you feel like an outcast because of your sexuality, just telling them your status will not help. You would need to have a long conversation with those you want to know. Let them know that this is who you are ( "gay") and work on one thing at a time... I can go on forever...LOL... send me a email and we can talk more.
Comments
Hi Tree, this is Albert - we shared a ride on the BART from the San Fran airport. The text didn't go through so i had no way to contact you. But i found this webpage and i just want to say this is truly inspiring and I have tremendous respect for what you are doing. Be well and take care of yourself. Keep up the good work.
Hello Tree this is good friend of yours from BK. You are so brave to tell you story.When u came to NYC and visited me with C.B.A. i knew you had your head on straight. I wish you nothing but blessings and great health! Please keep in touch if you can! XOXO
LOVE,
KELL
It happens to the best of us. My advice ........ Keep on living!
Hi There... I met you at World AIDS Day events back in November/December 2010. Hope you are doing well... your story is amazing! You are truly an inspiration to all.
Tree,
I would like to commend you on a wonderful and inspiring story about your life journey. You are a gift from God, one of his angels. Keep up the work around HIV/AIDS. If any time your are in the Philadelphia area, lunch or dinner is on me. Your are a "STAR" in my book. (Success through Accepting Responsibility)!
I'm one of the new spokesmodel for Va. I must say that you being so young is an inspiration to all. We need to let people know that this isn't going to beat us, as long as we're willing to fight and stand up for our ourselves. You keep up the good work.
Sincerely,
Shannon
Tree. I love you!!!!!!
THANKS! I love you too! I miss you and can't wait to make a trip home.
I read most of the blogs on the body and have never felt compelled to message any of the authors as I did with you. I guess I found a lot of parallels between our stories and just wanted to see how you've come to terms with your diagnosis. I've gone from not talking about it or believing it, to helping my partner understand it, and later having a breakdown and then finally picking the pieces back up and putting myself back together again. I have come a long way though. I definitely still have things I need to work on.
From time to time I feel really bad for myself and feel like this should have never happened to me. Do you go through this? I guess, I'm trying to see if the things I am going through are "normal" (whatever normal means). I still haven't found the strength to let my family know that I'm positive. They are still dealing with me being gay (even though they have known for about eight years) and always told me when I was younger that if I was gay that I was going to get AIDS and die. So, having to tell them that I got HIV I feel will be a bit too much for them to handle at the moment. Have you overcome this obstacle yet? If so, do you have any words of advice for disclosing to one's family?
Well, I think we all have a long way to go to feel completely comfortable and self assured in life. Yes, how you feel is a normal phase of finding yourself along with this new aspect of your health. I did experience heartaches and pain, abandonment and fear, a long with so many other factors going on in my life. After all I had already experienced in life, I did not have the energy to deal with more. I couldn’t bear to hold those feelings inside.
When it comes to my bisexuality, I guess I forced my family to accept my life style. LOL. I remember when I was 14 and I brought my boyfriend to my family reunion, I thought “the straight people don’t have to “COME-OUT,” so why do I?” They never had to have a special conversation with the family about the choices they made. I was always into acting as a career and I think that helped me get passed the looks and the stares from the family. I was so used to being judged that when I got around my family, I was still center stage. That’s why I say “before I was an ACTOR; now I’m a PRODUCER.” I spent so much time acting, there was very little time to just live. I was demonstrating to my family that my life was not just a choice or a phase but an ultimate part of ME. My lifestyle is something very natural, hardly like those bad images from TV and stories of the past.
In terms of you or anyone disclosing to family, I think, that this should be done when you're mentally ready for their reactions (whatever that may be). Also if you don't trust your family or feel they can handle it, then you should search for support elsewhere. If you feel like an outcast because of your sexuality, just telling them your status will not help. You would need to have a long conversation with those you want to know. Let them know that this is who you are ( "gay") and work on one thing at a time... I can go on forever...LOL... send me a email and we can talk more.