I came face to face with death at thirteen years old.

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

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

The school I was going to said they had no guidelines for a person with AIDS.

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

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.