Financial hardships were rough on us, even though Mom had a good job at G.M.

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

Eventually, I won the right to attend school, but the prejudice was still there.

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

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.

Twice a week I would receive injections or IV's of Factor VIII which clotted the blood and then broke it down.

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