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

On December 17, 1984, I had surgery to remove two inches of my left lung due to pneumonia. After two hours of surgery the doctors told my mother I had AIDS.

Most recently my battle has been against AIDS and the discrimination surrounding it.

Listening to medical facts was not enough. People wanted one hundred percent guarantees.

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.

A lot of my time was spent searching, thinking and planning my life.

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