Mayor Koch, of New York, was the first public figure to give me support.

I believe in myself as I look forward to graduating from Hamilton Heights High School in 1991.

I received thousands of letters of support from all around the world, all because I wanted to go to school.

I'm just one of the kids, and all because the students at Hamilton Heights High School listened to the facts, educated their parents and themselves, and believed in me.

AIDS can destroy a family if you let it, but luckily for my sister and me, Mom taught us to keep going. Don't give up, be proud of who you are, and never feel sorry for yourself.

The first five to six years of my life were spent in and out of the hospital.

How could these people in the public eye not be afraid of me, but my whole town was?