Meet Tim
As a child, Tim always felt like he was different. He grew up in an upper-class neighborhood in Cleveland and spent a lot of time with his grandmother while his mother worked hard to sustain the family’s lifestyle. A family friend sexually molested him for eight years and because of that experience he had a hard time trusting people. Tim was looking for someone that he could trust and feel comfortable with. He found that with three friends just like him--different. Tim didn’t hear the word gay growing up and in his new family he found himself. Tim found his “one and only” and decided to drop out of high school to pursue the relationship. Several months later his partner disclosed that he was HIV positive. Tim was sure that he couldn’t find a better partner and he was also sure he wouldn’t get HIV. Unfortunately, not all things last and the relationship turned sour and became emotionally and physically abusive. After leaving, Tim’s life continued down a dangerous path that included hustling and sleeping with men of many races who were on the “down low.” Tim’s family had an intervention and one of the conditions was that he go back and finish high school. It was time for Tim to turn his life around. Following graduation, he got a leading role in a theatre performance that traveled across the United States and he was enrolled in college. He was sure that his life was finally back on the right track when he got news that would change his life forever. After months of ignoring unbearable pains in his side, on Tim’s 21st birthday he was rushed to the emergency room. A doctor informed him that he had second stage syphilis, hepatitis A, a swollen spleen, kidney damage and HIV. Tim’s world came crashing down and it was the love and support of his mother that helped him get through such a difficult time and find the strength to pursue his dreams. “I had the Superman syndrome and had the mindset that it could not happen to me, but I was sadly mistaken. I have learned to love myself and I want to share the importance of self respect with young people,” says Tim. His past and now his future have inspired him to educate youth who are at risk for HIV and AIDS.
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