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.

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

I was labeled a troublemaker, my mom an unfit mother, and I was not welcome anywhere.

Entertainers, athletes, and stars started giving me support.

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

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

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