Who Knew So Few T Cells Could Accomplish So Much?

Who Knew So Few T Cells Could Accomplish So Much? http://www.thebody.com/content/art52858.html A blog by Thomas DeLorenzo at TheBody.com. http://www.thebody.com/images/blog/delorenzo_biobox.gif Thomas DeLorenzo http://www.thebody.com/content/art52858.html 115 145 Why Is There a Bedbug on My Oscar? http://www.thebody.com/content/71222/why-is-there-a-bedbug-on-my-oscar.html Sometimes it's not about the Oscars -- news from Hollywood that is. In spite of what you read in the tabloids, this isn't the land of celebs running all over town in their Bentleys, charging whatever they want on Rodeo Drive. It's actually a town where one in seven people live under the poverty line. It's a town where over 60,000 individuals struggle daily with HIV/AIDS. It's a town, where in spite of whatever the Kardashians are cooking up next, has seen its median income drop nearly $4,000 between 2007 and 2010, to a pretty impossible to live on here amount of $52,384. This number, coupled with the fact that Los Angeles County has the highest amount of uninsured individuals in the State of California, makes you wonder how anyone can even afford to attend the Oscars.

]]> http://www.thebody.com/content/71222/why-is-there-a-bedbug-on-my-oscar.html thomasdelorenzo@mac.com (Thomas DeLorenzo) Mon, 15 Apr 2013 15:25:00 GMT The Berlin Patient: Man or Superman? http://www.thebody.com/content/67233/the-berlin-patient-man-or-superman.html Sometime in the beginning of the year, I was consumed by a legal writing project. It was only fifteen pages but was going to be 80 percent of my grade. The sweats it brought on had not occurred on my body since my T cells were under 100. I couldn't sleep. I could, however, eat -- and eat and eat. In the middle of this hell, I learned about a conference to be held at the Eisenhower Medical Center in Rancho Mirage, California. The conference was called Hope For the Future ... Working Towards a Cure and was being sponsored by Walgreens Pharmacy. More important -- the special guest of the conference was going to be Timothy Brown, otherwise known as the Berlin Patient.

]]> http://www.thebody.com/content/67233/the-berlin-patient-man-or-superman.html thomasdelorenzo@mac.com (Thomas DeLorenzo) Tue, 22 May 2012 10:00:00 GMT Fight On and Fight Loud http://www.thebody.com/content/67032/fight-on-and-fight-loud.html Dear Fellow People Living with AIDS,

Today I am about to complete my first year of Law School, a hurdle I thought almost unachievable a few years back. When I finish my contracts final today, I want to scream what I have accomplished from the rooftops, not just for me, but for all people dealing with the everyday battle of being a Person Living with HIV/AIDS.

]]> http://www.thebody.com/content/67032/fight-on-and-fight-loud.html thomasdelorenzo@mac.com (Thomas DeLorenzo) Fri, 4 May 2012 16:06:00 GMT Thank You, Bonnie Goldman, for Giving Me My Life http://www.thebody.com/content/65640/thank-you-bonnie-goldman-for-giving-me-my-life.html I didn't know Bonnie Goldman for a very long time, nor did I have many contacts with her in person. That being said, these few times we did interact, she was nothing short of a force of nature on my life. Sometimes we get lucky and meet that person who can push us beyond our comfort zones and encourage us to do things that we never thought we could before. Bonnie was one of those people in my life.

]]> http://www.thebody.com/content/65640/thank-you-bonnie-goldman-for-giving-me-my-life.html thomasdelorenzo@mac.com (Thomas DeLorenzo) Mon, 6 Feb 2012 13:24:00 GMT Secretary Clinton, Can We Take Care of the Americans With AIDS First? http://www.thebody.com/content/64946/secretary-clinton-can-we-take-care-of-the-american.html World AIDS Day, for most of the country, is just another day. However, for a person living with AIDS like myself, it is a day of victory. Unfortunately this particular World AIDS Day is marred with insults and ignorance. A few weeks ago, Secretary Clinton announced the United States set a new direction for its global AIDS campaign, with an emphasis on HIV-fighting drugs that can prevent new infections. The key word in that statement is "global." Secretary Clinton waxes poetically about creating an AIDS-free generation, declaring that it "has never been a policy priority for the United States government -- until today."

]]> http://www.thebody.com/content/64946/secretary-clinton-can-we-take-care-of-the-american.html thomasdelorenzo@mac.com (Thomas DeLorenzo) Wed, 30 Nov 2011 18:15:00 GMT Life's Derailment Is Not Life's Denial http://www.thebody.com/content/64509/lifes-derailment-is-not-lifes-denial.html I was 28, having dinner with my former partner, David, and simply stated I was disappointed with my life thus far, that I had accomplished more in the decade before I was 20 than in my 20s. Things needed to change and I needed to go back to school to make them change. I hadn't a clue exactly what that meant yet but I was ready to try.

Read more ...

]]> http://www.thebody.com/content/64509/lifes-derailment-is-not-lifes-denial.html thomasdelorenzo@mac.com (Thomas DeLorenzo) Thu, 20 Oct 2011 13:35:00 GMT If AIDS Is Only 30, Why Do I Feel So Very Old? http://www.thebody.com/content/62973/if-aids-is-only-30-why-do-i-feel-so-very-old.html When the newspapers were ablaze with "AIDS at 30" I felt as if I should have gone out and gotten a cake, complete with the requisite 30 candles. In spite of the statistics being tossed around, we have again missed another public health moment in these ever so loosely United States. I say loosely because the quality of healthcare is truly a state-by-state situation. Indiana is about to set back the clock by defunding Planned Parenthood and allowing women to go without the most basic of health tests. States, via their federally funded AIDS Drug Assistance Programs, also get to choose which HIV drugs they cover, and what income levels are eligible.

Read more ...

]]> http://www.thebody.com/content/62973/if-aids-is-only-30-why-do-i-feel-so-very-old.html thomasdelorenzo@mac.com (Thomas DeLorenzo) Sun, 17 Jul 2011 07:23:00 GMT Why "the Gays" Need Planned Parenthood Too http://www.thebody.com/content/art61174.html I grew up in Schenectady, a small city in upstate New York. Sex education was an embarrassing night with my younger brother in the school cafeteria with a black and white filmstrip from the '50s. There was no discussion afterwards, just an awkward silence because the room was filled with people you were going to see in the morning. In high school, we were barred from learning about condoms. The thinking was, if you teach them about condoms, they would run out and have sex. Yeah, right.

I was also struggling with the fact that I was starting to learn that I was gay. Trust me, they didn't show a filmstrip for that.

Read more ...

]]> http://www.thebody.com/content/art61174.html thomasdelorenzo@mac.com (Thomas DeLorenzo) Wed, 16 Mar 2011 11:51:00 GMT I'm Not Cured Yet http://www.thebody.com/content/art59976.html On December 14, 2010, my inbox was inundated with the news of the "Berlin Cure." My friends without HIV who, thankfully, have no reason to follow HIV-related discoveries as closely as I do, were all excited about this news. They were taken aback by my lack of enthusiasm. I had many reasons to hold back my joy. Some were purely scientific; some were personal.

]]> http://www.thebody.com/content/art59976.html thomasdelorenzo@mac.com (Thomas DeLorenzo) Wed, 29 Dec 2010 13:58:00 GMT SwagForGood.org -- Holiday Gifts for Those That Need Them Most http://www.thebody.com/content/art59454.html By the end of this year, over 4,000 Americans will not be able to access their lifesaving HIV medications due to funding short falls. HIV infections keep going up in this country in spite of the prevention efforts. But there is one group that people are forgetting about -- the men and women spending their final days in AIDS hospices across the country.

I never knew that being an Entertainment Publicist could ever be so enlightening but that's exactly what happened one day in San Antonio, Texas. I met Josh, this incredibly sweet kid with the biggest smile I ever saw. Immediately upon knowing my name, Josh said I was cute. We started a small conversation about his day and the big party I was there for. Josh was going to try to make it, in spite of his wheelchair-bound status. Before I left him, Josh told me he loved me.

]]> http://www.thebody.com/content/art59454.html thomasdelorenzo@mac.com (Thomas DeLorenzo) Tue, 16 Nov 2010 15:45:00 GMT A Pre-Existing Condition Can Wreck Your Whole Day http://www.thebody.com/content/art57953.html Early last year, I finally decided to take the plunge and go back to school and move my life in a completely new direction. I had decided to go to law school and study health policy law. A natural choice for a verbose person with AIDS, right? Apparently wrong. The best laid plans of mice, men and PR guys often go astray. This idea was apparently to be another one of them. The very condition that got me to this place, my very own virus, would be the final straw in this equation. Because of my HIV status, I am not able to obtain insurance in any other state but California. In fact, I have to do whatever possible to maintain the insurance I currently have. Despite the fact that it costs as much as small house payment. Its mere existence does not guarantee "health;" but merely offers a chance to access life saving medications and a patchwork of specialized physicians.

]]> http://www.thebody.com/content/art57953.html thomasdelorenzo@mac.com (Thomas DeLorenzo) Tue, 3 Aug 2010 19:35:00 GMT Is There a Line in the Health Care Reform That Promises a Cure for AIDS? http://www.thebody.com/content/art56523.html Have you seen my cure?

"Do not go gentle into that good night," wrote Dylan Thomas. That seems to be the prevailing subtext of the 2010 HIV Research Catalyst Forum. From April 20th until April 23rd, a large collection of HIV activists gathered in Baltimore, Maryland at the Renaissance Harborplace Hotel to discuss the latest in treatment issues, new strategies to energize their activist base and bring new individuals into the fold, creative ways to deal with pharmaceutical companies, and discussing exactly how the health care reform will affect people living with HIV/AIDS.

]]> http://www.thebody.com/content/art56523.html thomasdelorenzo@mac.com (Thomas DeLorenzo) Tue, 4 May 2010 05:13:00 GMT Breaking the "Red Ribbon Ceiling": Part Three of "I Just Wanted to Apply to Law School" http://www.thebody.com/content/art55590.html After most of my applications went in, I started to ask schools about their health care program. For if I move to another state, Blue Shield has already told me that they PROBABLY won't be able to transfer my policy to another Blue Shield, but that they could try. Not comforting is an understatement. At this point, a very good friend who works at a University told me that students are required to buy into the school's group plan or show proof of coverage. Great, I thought briefly. Because once I looked at the policies, I realized they had to be designed by Republicans.

Fordham University, a school that is founded by Jesuits and sits in the middle of Manhattan right next to Lincoln Center, has a policy with a $1,500 annual pharmacy maximum. Columbia University has the most generous policy -- with a $5,000 annual pharmacy max. The ABA [American Bar Association] itself offers a student health insurance plan -- but get this -- it has a $1,500 LIFETIME maximum for drug benefits. That would get me through about ten days. I questioned the ABA about this low limit and I was not ready for their reply. They explained that the policy was designed for younger, healthier students as more of a back-up plan in case an emergency exists during their time in school. It did not take into account adults with major health care needs like myself. She went on to say, "Well with your health care situation, why are you even bothering to look at schools outside California?"

]]> http://www.thebody.com/content/art55590.html thomasdelorenzo@mac.com (Thomas DeLorenzo) Wed, 24 Feb 2010 17:00:00 GMT HIV/AIDS: On or Off the Application? Part Two of "I Just Wanted to Apply to Law School" http://www.thebody.com/content/art55589.html Admitting to myself that I wanted to go to Law School was one thing -- now I had to get in. I knew it was going to be hard but I honestly had no idea what I was up against. There is that obvious moment of hell called the LSAT. Prior to that, I honestly didn't care if the oboe was picked and the saxophone was left home (logic games -- they are only logical to law students). I got to take the test twice. No, not because I enjoyed the first time so very much, but because one of my clients and very good friends had her cancer return. It was just under three weeks away from the test date, and I got to deal with the media frenzy full time -- 24/7. By the time I stopped shaking, it was five days out and any knowledge I had gained had fallen out of my head. I took it anyways, figuring it was going to at least be a great practice session, and had the score cancelled.

Now that the word was out about my desire to go to Law School, everyone started to chime in with their "advice". Question here -- how can people give advice on a topic of which they know absolutely nothing? Oh, wait, that's what pundits on TV do all day. Silly me.

]]> http://www.thebody.com/content/art55589.html thomasdelorenzo@mac.com (Thomas DeLorenzo) Tue, 23 Feb 2010 17:00:00 GMT The Decision; or, "A Lot of Life Left": Part One of "I Just Wanted to Apply to Law School" http://www.thebody.com/content/art55588.html This Fall I will be attending Law School somewhere that remains to be determined. That is not the big news -- the big news is that I am the first long-term survivor with AIDS to do so. At first I couldn't believe it, but when you keep getting reactions from Admissions offices like, "Wow, never heard that before," you start to figure it out.

I just wanted to do something more with my life than holding purses in a press line for celebrities. As an Entertainment Publicist, I got to help others achieve their goals, while my own remained in the closet. It was time for me to have my own voice. I wanted to make a difference and use my brain. The Entertainment Industry is in too much flux for anyone to call it home these days, and I figured why not jump ship now before I realize I am too old to create that second half of my life.

]]> http://www.thebody.com/content/art55588.html thomasdelorenzo@mac.com (Thomas DeLorenzo) Mon, 22 Feb 2010 17:00:00 GMT Back From the Brink http://www.thebody.com/content/art54363.html I was not always this outspoken with my status. In fact, in the beginning, I was incredibly fearful. I knew I had AIDS well before the doctors made it official. I was living in denial not stupidity. I knew that when you lose as much weight as I did and you are eating McDonald's pretty much every day, something isn't working right. I knew that the sheets were not supposed to be wet every morning from my never-ending night sweats. I knew all that -- but I still did nothing about it.

I like to say that I didn't make a move until I felt comfortable with my insurance. Being self-employed, I get the privilege of buying my own policy, making me vulnerable for cancellation at the insurance company's whim.

I tell people I didn't use my policy for the first year in fear of being cancelled for a pre-existing condition, but what really happened was I was just too scared to confront the truth. I had seen it all before and still was in complete disbelief that my body could actually betray me like this. I mean, didn't we have some unspoken bond, that if we worked together, we would be better off?

]]> http://www.thebody.com/content/art54363.html thomasdelorenzo@mac.com (Thomas DeLorenzo) Tue, 10 Nov 2009 22:13:23 GMT Since When Is the Expression of Fear and Ignorance a Basic American Right? http://www.thebody.com/content/art53392.html All these conversations about health care just keep me going back to two words -- fear and denial. Remove these two words, and we would easily have a health care system that could work for every single American. Keep these two words in the equation, and you have the quagmire that we are currently engaged in. Keep these two words in the conversation, and people will continue to get ill unnecessarily. Keep these two words in the conversation, and we all lose precious ground.

I can speak from personal experience about fear and denial. I held off treatment, rather seeking the truth about my own diagnosis until it was almost too late. I was caught up in my very own mix of fear and denial -- I was completely scared that people would abandon me, simply because I had HIV. I had to be dragged almost kicking and screaming to the hospital, to find out my news. When I had stabilized, my doctor told me that I would have lived only a few days had I stayed home. Fear, denial, and a strong dose of stubbornness would have won, and I would have lost. All of this because I was scared out of my mind and was willing to do absolutely anything, including putting myself at risk, in order to avoid the potential of being alone and isolated from the people I loved.

Recently, I dated a man who practiced his own version of fear and denial. When things seemed to be getting a bit more serious, I shared with him my status. I mistakenly assumed by his silence that he was negative. He did nothing to change my mind. I shared my fears with him about losing my health coverage, being too sick to care for myself, and other nightmares that come with being a person living with AIDS.

]]> http://www.thebody.com/content/art53392.html thomasdelorenzo@mac.com (Thomas DeLorenzo) Tue, 25 Aug 2009 16:40:52 GMT How I Fell in Love With an Illegal Alien http://www.thebody.com/content/art52857.html In less than 45 days, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services could lift the HIV travel ban. Currently, HIV-positive non-Americans cannot enter the country legally. In December of 1987, then Senator Jesse Helms added a rider to an agricultural bill, making it illegal for a person with HIV/AIDS to step foot on American soil. The senator's thinking was that the world would flood our shores with tired, hungry, immunocompromised masses yearning to take advantage of our American health care system. http://www.thebody.com/content/art52857.html thomasdelorenzo@mac.com (Thomas DeLorenzo) Wed, 22 Jul 2009 15:27:17 GMT