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Attitudes towards new HIV biomedical prevention technologies among HIV- gay men

2009-12-15T09:27:00.002-06:00

[This paper has important implications for research of new prevention technologies. It is very interesting to note the researchers found that previous knowledge of rectal microbicides was significantly associated with unwillingness to participate.]

ABSTRACT

Attitudes towards new HIV biomedical prevention technologies among a cohort of HIV-negative gay men in Sydney, Australia

IM Poynten 1 , F Jin 1 , GP Prestage 1 , JM Kaldor 1 , J Imrie 2 , and AE Grulich 1

1 National Centre in HIV Epidemiology and Clinical Research, University of New South Wales, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia and 2 National Centre in HIV Social Research, University of New South Wales, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia

Correspondence: Dr Mary Poynten, National Centre in HIV Epidemiology and Clinical Research, Level 2, 376 Victoria Street, Darlinghurst, NSW 2010, Australia. Tel: +61 2 9385 0900; fax: +61 2 9385 0920; e-mail: mpoynten@nchecr.unsw.edu.au

Objectives
The aim of the study was to explore the awareness of rectal microbicides, the use of pre-exposure prophylaxis (PREP) and the willingness to participate in biomedical HIV prevention trials in a cohort of HIV-negative gay men.

Methods
In a community-based cohort study, HIV-negative homosexually active men in Sydney, Australia were questioned about awareness of rectal microbicides, use of PREP, and willingness to participate in trials of such products. Predictors of awareness and willingness to participate were analysed by logistic regression. Use of PREP was examined prospectively.

Results
Overall, 14% had heard of rectal microbicides. Older (P=0.05) and university-educated men (P=0.001) were more likely to have knowledge of rectal microbicides. Almost one-quarter (24%) of men reported that they were likely/very likely to participate in rectal microbicide trials. Among those men with definite opinions on participation, awareness of rectal microbicides was significantly associated with unwillingness to participate [odds ratio (OR) 0.78, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.65–0.93, P=0.007]. Willingness to participate in trials using antiretroviral drugs (ARVs) to prevent HIV infection was reported by 43% of men, and was higher among those who reported unprotected anal intercourse (UAI) with HIV-positive partners (OR 1.88, 95% CI 0.99–3.56). There was no evidence of current PREP use.

Conclusions
This study demonstrates that Australian gay men have had little experience with PREP use and rectal microbicides. About half would be willing to consider participation in trials using ARVs to prevent HIV infection. Extensive community education and consultation would be required before PREP or rectal microbicides could be trialled in populations of gay Australian men.

Fabulous Fela!

2009-12-15T09:00:00.003-06:00

A couple of LifeLube minions were lucky enough to see Fela on Broadway this past weekend.The show, directed by Bill T. Jones, explores Fela Anikulapo Kuti's controversial life as an artist, political activist and revolutionary musician in Nigeria as well as his pioneering blend of jazz, funk and traditional African rhythms that launched the Afrobeat community. LOVED IT. Ya gotta go if you have a chance. The show never mentions this - but Fela died from complications due to AIDS.

Below, rehearsal footage, plus a nice little promo for the show.

Lost to AIDS, but Still Friended

2009-12-14T09:30:00.000-06:00

So much was lost when those lives were ripped out of the heart of [Philadelphia]. There were 4,600 men who died from a gay male population of about 26,000.

via New York Times, by Guy Trebay

Like millions of other Americans, Dominic Bash has a Twitter account, an online wall and a network of friends on the Web. His Facebook-style profile features Mr. Bash’s occupation as a hairdresser at the Abbey in Philadelphia, lists his birthday, the names of good friends, his interests and hobbies. It pictures him at his most typical and outrageous — at a Philadelphia gay pride parade, dressed in a lavender feather boa, his long blond hair styled in a braid reminiscent of Madonna, in her Heidi phase.

Mr. Bash’s profile also contains information less customary on social networking sites: the date of his death. Mr. Bash, 46 when he died in 1993, was a member of what a friend refers to as a lost generation of gay men, among the many who died of AIDS before the development of antiretroviral drugs rendered H.I.V. treatable.

“There is a real hunger for information about this period, this history and these lost lives,” said that friend, Chris Bartlett [pictured - a regular LifeLube contributor and wonderful friend], a former classics scholar who has set out to rescue the memories of those lives, specifically 4,600 gay Philadelphia men who perished of AIDS in the 1980s and ’90s. While the memorializing impulse is ancient, the method Mr. Bartlett came up with is as new as the latest app; he has created a social networking site for the dead.

Modest by the standards of memorial Web sites like Tributes.com — a for-profit company that amasses 80 million obituaries — Mr. Bartlett’s site, gayhistory.wikispaces.com, is far from the first AIDS commemoration. But its appearance now links it to a resurgence of attempts to reclaim the memories of thousands who died during a calamitous era, when H.I.V. was still a death sentence. It connects the dead to one another, to a larger community and to groups of potential new “friends” using technology that most of those it commemorates did not live to experience.

“There is absolutely no permanent social marker of the hundreds of thousands who died of AIDS in this country,” said Sarah Schulman, a writer and a director of the Act Up Oral History Project, begun seven years ago to assemble testimonies from the surviving members of the activist group AIDS Coalition to Unleash Power.

“There’s not even a postage stamp.”

Read the rest.

How does shame play out in queer lives?

2009-12-14T09:00:00.001-06:00

Sex and shame: let's talk
via extra.ca, by Andrea Zanin

Excerpt:

One of the things that happens when people are deep in the undigested shame cycle, they often go to either repression, rebellion or both. They internalize and repress their sexuality and wall it up, and will sometimes try to repress other people's sexuality as well.

Read the whole item.

New era: Health authorities open brothels to male prostitutes

2009-12-14T08:00:00.000-06:00

We’ve worked hard for years to make the traditional brothel business in this state socially acceptable an something we can be proud of that most Nevadans accept.

via Las Vegas Sun, by Marshall Allen

Men may now join the ranks of Nevada’s brothel prostitutes, after a unanimous decision today that added language to health codes so male sex workers could be tested for infectious diseases.

A brothel industry lobbyist -- in what could be considered a befuddling double standard -- bemoaned the change, comparing it to the industry’s “Pearl Harbor.” He managed to voice concerns about homosexual sex entering the industry without ever saying “gay sex” or “homosexual.”

Men were previously barred in Nevada from the oldest profession because codes specified that prostitutes must undergo “cervical” testing for sexually transmitted diseases, which ruled out men.

Bobbi Davis, owner of the Shady Lady Ranch [pictured above], a small brothel near Beatty, wanted to add male prostitutes to her stable of sex workers.

And while there have been plans for brothels to hire men in the past, Davis made the first-ever request to have the Nevada State Board of Health add urethral exams to the guidelines. That allows male sex workers to be tested for sexually transmitted diseases.

Davis has said the men could start working at her five-bed brothel starting in the New Year. The male prostitutes will decide for themselves whether to accept male or female clients, she said, just as the female prostitutes do now.

Read the rest.

Monday Morning Perk Up - William's Doll

2009-12-14T07:00:00.001-06:00

Brought to you by Pistol Pete

Via "Free To Be... You And Me", a children's film from 1974 starring Marlo Thomas, Alan Alda, Mel Brooks, Cicely Tyson, Michael Jackson among others. Various LifeLube minions remember it quite well, and recall singing all the songs in music class. This clip is a cartoon short called "William's Doll."

Rachel on Rick Warren and Uganda - Investigative Reporting Lives!!!!

2009-12-11T12:58:00.002-06:00

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Virtual Love Baby - Online "Dating" Research

2009-12-11T11:00:00.001-06:00

Researchers at the University of Michigan School of Public Health have a new online survey for young men who have sex with men (ages 18-24) focused on their online dating experiences.They are looking for participants who are:

- Male
- Between the ages of 18 and 24
- Using dating websites to meet other men

The web-survey should take 25-40 minutes to complete. Participants receive a $15 iTunes e-card upon completion of the survey. This study is approved by the University of Michigan Institutional Review Board (HUM#00032985).

The link to determine the eligibility is located here.

Feel the Love... Sister Glo channels Barbara De Angelis

2009-12-11T08:00:00.001-06:00

Keep love in your heart. A life without it is like a sunless garden when the flowers are dead. The consciousness of loving and being loved brings a warmth and richness to life that nothing else can bring.

~Oscar Wilde

Sister Glo shares her glittery gems of love with LifeLube each Friday.

Friday is for Faeries

2009-12-11T07:00:00.001-06:00

SPEEDO FRIENDLY - Gay Men's Health Summit 2010 in Ft. Lauderdale

2009-12-10T13:38:00.003-06:00

Save these dates
8/25- 8/30, 2010

for the Gay Men's Health Summit 2010 in steamy Fort Lauderdale, FL.

Break out the flip-flops and SPF9000 all you Gay Men's Health advocates.... and make sure you can find them this summer. The organizers have released these details to whet our appetites, with more to follow....

The dates will be: beginning Wednesday, August 25, 2010 and ending on Monday, August 30, 2010.

We will be staying the Sheraton Ft Lauderdale Airport and Cruise Port Hotel located on Griffin Road. THE best news is that the rate will be $89.00 PER night and they (the hotel) will be sponsoring a welcome reception for us on.

The hotel has a shuttle to and from the airport and is located one block from I-95 for those of us who drive. Parking will be $5 per night for overnight visitors and $2 a day for the locals (it is normally $20 & $15).

More detailed info soon! Stay tuned to LifeLube :) for that and more.

*** The mission of the Summit is to create a stronger, more diverse, and increasingly visible grassroots movement among gay, bi and trans men, focused on strengthening our communities and tackling a range of health concerns that include, but are not limited to, HIV and AIDS.

Next year's event marks the 11-year anniversary of the first National Summit, convened in Boulder, Colorado in 1999. Notably different from traditional health conferences, many have experienced our earlier summits as nurturing retreats, exciting think tanks, and moments of great enlightenment.

We hope to continue building on the success of previous summits as we mobilize to better our health and wellness, conduct strategic organizing, celebrate our past achievements, and create a renewed vision for the next decade of the Gay Men's Health Movement.

People of Public Transit

2009-12-10T10:00:00.001-06:00

Genius.

More

An enema with special powers?

2009-12-10T09:00:00.001-06:00

Why Rectal Douches May Be Acceptable Rectal-Microbicide Delivery Vehicles for Men Who Have Sex With Men

Abstract via Sexually Transmitted Diseases

Carballo-Diéguez, Alex PHD; Bauermeister, José PHD; Ventuneac, Ana PHD; Dolezal, Curtis PHD; Mayer, Kenneth MD

Rationale: To explore age of onset of rectal douching among men who have sex with men (MSM) and reasons leading to and maintaining douching behavior; and to consider whether rectal douches containing microbicidal agents might be acceptable for men at HIV risk.

Methods: In stage 1, we used qualitative methods to explore douching behavior in a sample of 20 MSM. Subsequently, we developed a structured questionnaire that was administered in stage 2 to 105 MSM.

Results: More than half of participants who completed stage 1 douched during the trial despite having been advised not to do so. Of the 105 human immunodeficiency virus uninfected participants in stage 2, 51% reported using rectal douches in the prior 6 months; 47% douched before and 25% after anal intercourse. Most participants reported douching frequently or always. On average, men reported douching about 2 hours before or 1 hour following intercourse. Average age of onset was late 20s. Most men who douched wanted to be clean or were encouraged to douche by their partners. Some men thought douching after sex could prevent sexually transmitted infections.

Conclusion: Rectal douching appears to be a popular behavior among men who have receptive anal intercourse. It is necessary to identify harmless douches. If human immunodeficiency virus or sexually transmitted infections preventive douches can be developed, rectal douching before or following sexual intercourse could become an important additional prevention tool. To reshape an existing behavior to which some men strongly adhere, like douching, by suggesting use of 1 type of douche over another may be more successful than trying to convince MSM to engage in behaviors they never practiced before or those they resist (e.g., condom use).

Who's That Queer [Hans Christan Andersen ]

2009-12-10T07:00:00.002-06:00

Brought to you by Pistol Pete

The son of a poor shoemaker and an illiterate laundry woman, Hans Christan Andersen was an ill-educated and eccentric boy who arrived penniless aged fourteen in Copenhagen, but managed to charm the wealthy locals into sponsoring his education and on his graduation from high school in 1828 published his first novel in 1829. In 1837, he began writing the fairy tales for which is now known and loved.

Andersen often fell in love with unattainable women and many of his stories are interpreted as references to his sexual grief. Just like his interest in women, Andersen would become attracted to nonreciprocating men. For example, Andersen wrote to Edvard Collin: "I languish for you as for a pretty wench... my sentiments for you are those of a woman. The femininity of my nature and our friendship must remain a mystery." Collin, who did not prefer men, wrote in his own memoir: "I found myself unable to respond to this love, and this caused the author much suffering."

In 1857, Andersen made the acquaintance of fellow Dane Harald Scharff, a handsome twenty-one-year-old ballet dancer. In July 1860, Andersen was in Bavaria where he was pleasantly surprised to meet Scharff again. They kept constant company, and it is probable that Andersen fell in love with Scharff at this time. According to his diary, Andersen did not "feel at all well" when the two young men left Munich on 9 July 1860. A liaison with a celebrated and distinguished man such as Andersen must have held some attraction for the young Scharff, and a correspondence between the two began.

Harald Schraff

Andersen determined to fully open his heart to Scharff. He sent the young dancer a photograph of himself in a languid and seductive pose with a salutation using the intimate “Du” form: "Dear Scharf, here you have again Hans Christian Andersen." The two men exchanged birthday gifts in the early months of 1861.

When Andersen returned to Copenhagen at the start of the new year 1862, Scharff was waiting for him. In his diary entry for 2 January 1862, Andersen noted that Scharff "bounded up to me; threw himself round my neck and kissed me!" In the winter of 1861–62, the two men entered a full-blown love affair that brought Andersen "joy, some kind of sexual fulfillment and a temporary end to loneliness."He was not discreet in his conduct with Scharff, and displayed his feelings much too openly. Onlookers regarded the relationship as improper and ridiculous. In his diary for March 1862, Andersen referred to this time in his life as his "erotic period."

The affair eventually came to an end. Scharff withdrew gradually from the relationship as he focused on his friendship with Eckardt, who had married the actress Josephine Thorberg. In late August 1863, Andersen was a dinner guest at the Eckhardts and sensed Scharff was no longer interested in him as an intimate friend. On 27 August 1863, the poet noted in his diary that Scharff’s passion had cooled and the dancer (whom he at one time described as a "butterfly who flits around sympathetically") wrote in his diary:

"Dinner at the Eckhardts. Scharff's infatuation with me has now passed, "now another object has captured the hero's eye." I'm not dejected about it, as I have been previously at similar disappointments."

In the spring of 1872, Andersen fell out of bed and was severely hurt. He never fully recovered, but he lived until August 4, 1875, dying of insidious causes near Copenhagen. At the time of his death, he was an internationally renowned and treasured artist. He received a stipend from the Danish Government as a "national treasure". Before his death, steps were already underway to erect the large statue in his honour, which was completed and is prominently placed at the town hall square in Copenhagen.

Sources: Gay for Today, Wikipedia

Maddow Takes on Ex-Gay Activist Richard Cohen

2009-12-09T11:22:00.002-06:00

Gotta love Rachel Maddow! Via HuffPo

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

How is Diego Sanchez healthy?

2009-12-09T11:00:00.001-06:00

Look, no one is perfect, and no one makes the best decisions always.

In past years, people who web-searched my name bumped into “Where in the world is Carmen Sandiego?” Later they were greeted by Dora the Explorer’s, “Go, Diego, go!” I guess I’m getting closer to health because today, if you web-search my name, you encounter a photo and profile of a handsome, young Latino champion mixed martial artist.

No, I’m not he. I’m the adopted, naturalized, older, not-as-cute, Latino transsexual guy who leverages a different kind of fight. I fight for our community and for our lives.

To me, being or staying healthy entails several things. My “healthy” checklist includes being safe, honest, respectful, engaged, grateful, humble, hopeful, inspired, conscious in my decision-making and as medically well as possible as often as possible. Physical fitness is on my list, as is a two-week vacation in Hawaii or Arizona – both are part of my past, and they are on my radar for my future.

I’m reminded of my Uncle Gene who for decades said, “Every day’s a gift,” as he revealed part of a clever grin that let you know there’s more to the sentence than crossed his lips. After he retired, he’d say, “Every day’s a holiday.” When I consider the danger and constant risk so many people in my communities face daily -- reminded just a couple of weeks ago on Nov. 20, the International Transgender Day of Remembrance when we tallied our annual loss at more than 160 people, mostly of color, predominantly poor -- I recognize each day that I exist as a gift and a holiday. It’s my charge to make each day a celebration.

I’m fortunate that when my parents went to an orphanage, they asked for the infant closest to death, and that infant was I.

They did the same when they chose my brother four years later. I’m lucky to be emotionally balanced and mentally fit. I suppose my next step could be to get on my bike more often or run and lift a little more each day. I take my life in stride. As an adopted person, I have to presume that I’m predisposed to get everything on that physicians’ checklist. I do get annual checkups, hormone panels when needed and yes, because I’m over 50 colonoscopies. Here’s why: Is there a family history of heart attacks? Maybe. Any relatives ever had a stroke? Possibly. How about diabetes? Could be. I am diligent about being vigilant. It’s all about moderation and balance, so I have my checklist in tow. I ponder it. Look, no one is perfect, and no one makes the best decisions always. We can give our best effort and not judge ourselves if we fall short sometimes. It’s harm reduction, as we learn in the HIV/AIDS prevention and education public health arena.

Learn, smile, dust off and move on. It’s how we grow, and it feels to me like a key reason that we age.

The most important take-away point is that I could never be healthy alone. I need to be accountable and active in my faith, to my community, friends, family and myself. I am humbly thankful that I am blessed to be able to live with integrity. I salute Jim Pickett for the variety of handsome men he finds to highlight on this blog. Still, the real joy is that he features the full essence of good and great men – skin deep and beyond, never stopping with who you see, rather fearlessly profiling who you might get to know. It’s the same healthy action that Michael Shankle at The MALE Center www.malecenter.org ensures to create such welcoming space where gay, bisexual and trans men can flourish, heal and grow.

Gentlemen and others: a nuestra salud.

-- Diego Sanchez
Boston and Washington, DC

How are you healthy?
Join in the conversation.
Tell us HERE. Send a pic to the same place.
And we'll blog it, right here.
Read past posts.
Learn more about the campaign.

Woof Wednesday

2009-12-09T07:00:00.021-06:00

Black & Gay is Beautiful

2009-12-08T09:00:00.002-06:00

God's plan is unfolding for the inclusion of all people based on their divine design...

New LifeLube Column: Dating and Mating with Alan Irgang!!!

2009-12-08T07:00:00.005-06:00

Ask Alan about love, romance, and relationships (and anything) else here!
*All private information is kept confidential

This is my inaugural column for LifeLube. As I sit here staring at a blank screen wondering what I can say to you, reader, about the vast subject of love, romance, and relationships, I am feeling a bit overwhelmed. There is so much to tell you. As a psychotherapist for 15 years, I have devoted much of my practice to the mystery of love. How to find it, sustain it, give it, receive it, savor it, lose it, and on and on. I have learned a lot over the years from my clients, countless books, articles, seminars, and from my own personal struggles with it. Yet I always return to the question, "Why is love so difficult?" The resounding response that repeatedly occurs to me is simply, "LIFE is difficult. And LIFE is LOVE. Therefore, LOVE is difficult." (Ah yes of course, the Transitive Property of Mathematics!)

OK, so let's start with the premise that LOVE is difficult. Now where do we go? It's deplorable that in our culture, our education curriculum includes so little to prepare us for Life's most important experience. Yet we sit through endless class periods of subjects that might be cool to learn about, but offer no real guidance about the things that really matter. "Oh that, dear students, you'll have to learn on your own. We don't teach that here." As an adult, I complained about this, quite vocally out loud for a long time until I decided to do something about it. So years ago, I created a coaching class of sorts for gay men about navigating the challenges of dating, romance, and love. It was wildly successful and well received. Knowing I was on the right track, I began offering it to people of all genders and sexual orientations. Over time, I came to realize that regardless of the diversity inherent among all of us, we are all looking for the same thing: To love and be loved. Together, through the sharing of experience, and learning new ways of thinking about and creating love and romance, we can unlock the mystery of the greatest challenge and most rewarding gift of our lifetimes.

So, I offer this forum to you, the seeker of Love. This is your place to ask a question, seek advice, or simply to see if you're on the right track. Know that you are not alone and that your curiosities will be shared by countless others who can relate and identify. Here we can create that class that we should have been offered in school and learn from each other. I eagerly look forward to hearing from you...

Alan Irgang, LCSW is a psychotherapist and “dating coach” in private practice in Chicago. He is also on the faculty of the Loyola University School of Social Work where he teaches graduate level courses in Human Sexuality. Alan has been in private practice since 1998 and has been facilitating groups for singles about dating and relationships for six years. Check out his website www.alanirgang.com for more information about his practice and his upcoming seminars for singles. Questions may be submitted to Alan at lifelube@gmail.com; all private information will be kept confidential.

Now THIS is an Xmas Decoration we Love

2009-12-07T12:00:00.000-06:00

Read the hilarious back story on Shorter and Sweeter

Graphic Overview of the Same-Sex Marriage Debate

2009-12-07T09:00:00.001-06:00

HIV-positive men at high risk for anal cancer - not all of us aware

2009-12-07T08:00:00.001-06:00

via EDGE Boston, by Matthew S. Bajko

Cancer researchers have found that since the introduction of highly active antiretroviral therapy HIV-positive men’s chances of having human papillomavirus (HPV) related anal cancers have increased. Yet many are not only unaware of their heightened risk but also do not know to seek HPV screening.

The lack of attention paid to HPV infections among HIVers has led to an incidence rate of anal cancer among HIV-positive men that now exceeds the highest incidence of cervical cancer among women reported anywhere in the world, recent studies have found.

"The incidence of human papillomavirus-associated anal cancer is unacceptably high among HIV-positive men who have sex with men, and possibly in HIV-positive women. Unlike most other malignancies occurring in the HIV-positive population, anal cancer is potentially preventable, using methods similar to those used to prevent cervical cancer in women," wrote Dr. Joel M. Palefsky, the co-leader of the cancer and immunity program at the Helen Diller Family Comprehensive Cancer Center at the University of California, San Francisco, in an article this year in the medical journal Current Opinion in Oncology. "The high incidence of anal cancer among HIV-positive individuals must not be ignored, since it may be preventable."

Read the rest.

Monday Morning Perk-Up - When Tarzan thinks of you...

2009-12-07T07:00:00.000-06:00

Brought to you by Pistol Pete

Tarzan Fail
by failblog

Yes there IS a Ms. Santa Claus - at the VA no less!

2009-12-04T11:29:00.002-06:00

by Leon Liberman, for LifeLube
Read more from Leon.

Sometimes Santa goes under the name of Floretta Strong-Pulley.

Those of us who are aging and unwell don’t allow for change, indifference and neglect when it comes to the health care we require, are eligible for and entitled to.

I had switched health care provider from the one with whom I began treatment to one who offered more services.I had complete confidence in the doctor who treated me at the new facility and was convinced that I had done right by switching I was more relaxed and hopeful than at any time since having been diagnosed.

Well into treatment, I received a letter from the facility telling me that the doctor left to work for a pharmaceutical company and I was given a list of other facility doctors from which to choose one to treat me.

I thought that I should have been told by my doctor that he was abandoning me for a seemingly more lucrative position since he knew of how much I depended on him and he should have referred me to another facility and a doctor one - who would best treat me. Fortunately, the pharmacy I use is in the facility. I consulted the pharmacist, an AIDS Legal Council of Chicago Advocate of the Year Award recipient, who knows all of the facility doctors and he not only recommended the one who should treat me but also made an appointment for me to see him.

I have been dependent upon Illinois Public Aid for my Medicare B payment and supplemental medical and hospital costs. It has been a frustrating and even humiliating experience that I am not deserving of. Fortunately, Ann Fisher, Executive Director of AIDS Legal Council of Chicago, has intervened on my behalf with Public Aid on several occasions to resolve and correct them myself but was helpless in dealing with a case worker and her supervisors who did not return telephone calls or answer pleading letters.

Just when I thought that that’s the way it’s always going to be, I read in a newspaper about a VA Benefits Fair at the Jesse Brown VA Medical Center in Chicago. Being a Korean War veteran, I went to see if I might be able to profit from it.

I was told that it was only available to those registered for treatment at the Jesse Brown facility, which surprised me. I asked where I could register and a woman who overheard me said that she would take me to the registration department. She was Floretta Strong-Pulley, Minority Veterans Program Coordinator, Jesse Brown VA Medical Center, and I bless the day that I met her.

I tried to register but didn’t have the proof of service information with me so could not complete the registration forms. I returned the forms to the clerk with an explanation as to why I was unable to complete them. Floretta again overheard me and took me to another clerk to whom I gave my name, birthdate, and social security number which she then fed into a computer that promptly printed my service record with which I was immediately registered.

Floretta then walked me back to the fair and asked me to call her if there was anything more that she could do for me. I was convinced that she walked on water.

I received a letter of eligibility for medial and hospital care from the VA and called Floretta to tell her that I had. She asked me to return so that she could arrange for an appointment for me with a doctor who would determine the care I needed and arrange for me to get it.

It doesn’t end there.

After that was done, I told Floretta that I was interested in any other VA benefit that I might be eligible for and would look into it. She insisted upon walking me over to the nearby VA Headquarters where she arranged for me to immediately see someone who could help me with my inquiry.

I have nothing but praise for this uniquely caring woman who obviously does much more than she has an obligation to do, and I want as many people as possible to know of her and what she has done for me. Floretta more than makes up for provider and Public Aid indifference and neglect. She epitomizes what it means to be a true professional.

I’m looking forward to my initial Jesse Brown appointment.

YES VIRGINIA, THERE IS A SANTA CLAUS!

[Sometimes Santa goes under the name of Floretta Strong-Pulley.]

Heartfelt thanks, Floretta! You’re the best Christmas gift I could receive.

Feel the Love... Sister Glo channels Arthur Rubinstein

2009-12-04T08:00:00.001-06:00

Love life and life will love you back. Love people and they will love you back.

~Arthur Rubinstein

Sister Glo shares her glittery gems of love with LifeLube each Friday.