I moved to San Francisco in 1976. I was 21 years old. It was an incredible experience until the early 80s. People began getting sick. No one knew what was going on. In 1988, I tested HIV+ and received an AIDS Dx because of my low t-cells.
In 2018, I was diagnosed with MDS which progressed to AML. I entered City of Hope Hospital in Los Angeles and began chemotherapy. The AML went into remission by January 2019. On February 6, 2019, I received a bone marrow transplant. My donor had a CCR 5, Delta 32 mutation which has cured my leukemia and HIV. I am the 5th person in the world that this has happened to.
Now I am on the CAB of RID-HIV, one of ten Martin Delaney collaboratories for HIV Cure Research. I have been speaking at Universities and HIV events bringing hope and encouragement to people living with HIV and to Researchers.
I am an Artist. I paint abstract paintings. I presently have the honor of being the 2024, Artist in Residency at Lakehead University in Canada. I have been with my husband, Arnie House, for the last 32 years. We live in Desert Hot Springs, CA, with our 17-year-old cat, Missy.