From: "Robert Breining"
robert@...Sent: Tuesday, June 02, 2009 3:38 PM
Subject: June Newsletter
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June Shows
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Hey Members,
HIV is a completely different condition then it was a few years ago.
In 2009 an HIV+ diagnosis does not mean a decline in health , as they
once did. In fact there are bright futures for people newly diagnosed
with the virus..things get better with every passing year.
You might know a little bit about HIV/AIDS or even know someone who is
HIV+. You might be somewhat knowledgeable about the virus and you
might be less concerned about your future. Instead you may be more
concerned about other people in your life, people close to you , those
who may be less informed then you are. Maybe How a partner
,spouse,parents, family members, or friends will respond to the news.
For now it is more important to focus on taking care of yourself.
Testing HIV+ can be a scary thing. It was for me. People respond to
their diagnosis in different ways.
THE BOTTOM LINE IS ...PEOPLE WITH HIV CAN LIVE A FULL LIFE AND LIVE A
NORMAL LIFE EXPECTANCY IF THEY DO THE RIGHT THINGS
HAVING HIV MEANS MANY THINGS
* Having HIV does not mean you have AIDS.
* You can continue to have an active and full life.
* You might not need medication for many years.
* HIV medication is good now and gets better every year.
BY FINDING OUT YOUR HIV STATUS YOU'RE ALREADY TAKING CONTROL OF YOUR
HEALTH
In hopes of Inspiring,
Robert
Mark Olmsted - HIV+ and Prison
Wednesday June 3rd at 2pm EST Mark Omsted
will share his story with POZ I AM Radio .Mark Olmsted is a long-term
survivor who dates his seroconversion from New York
in the early 80s, where he also graduated from NYU with a degree in
film. In
1989 he moved to the West Coast, where he took care of his brother,
who died of
AIDS in 1991. Mark was diagnosed with full-blown AIDS in 1993, and
lived for
the next several years with the assumption they were his last, as he
pursued a
screenwriting career . He developed a crystal meth habit, which in
turn led to
drug-dealing to support his addiction. In 2004, he was arrested, and
spent 9
months in various California prisons. While incarcerated, his sister
offered to
start a blog documenting his life as an out HIV+ inmate, a blog which
he
continued upon his release. He recently celebrated 4 years of
sobriety.
Mark's Blog
http://www.thetrashwhisperer.blogspot.comNina Martinez - Shares her Story
Sunday June 7th AT 9pm EST Nina Martinez
shares her amazing story with POZ I AM Radio . Nina's premature birth
in San Jose, California facilitated the need for a blood transfusion
that infected her with the HIV virus in 1983. However, it was 1991
before her infection came to light during an accidental preoperative
test; she was eight years old. This discovery began an investigation
into the U.S.Department of Defense, which had known of her donor's
HIV-positive status two years before her diagnosis. Prompted by her
case, the Department of Defense's "Blood Look Back" program now
requires a practice of case non-closure if a blood recipient cannot be
immediately located. Nearly twenty-six years after her infection, Nina
holds a bachelor's degree in mathematics and government from
Georgetown
University in Washington, DC, and she is a candidate for the Master of
Science in Public Health in the summer of 2009 from Emory University
in
Atlanta.
Jim Frederick - HIV+ Aritst
Wednesday June 10th at 2pm EST Jim Frederick a HIV+ Artist will be
sharing his story with POZ I AM Radio. Jim is a Midwest boy, who grew
up in Washington, Missouri. He has a double bachelors degree in
Advertising and Marketing. After one brief year with a small
advertising agency, He started his own t-shirt business. He designed
under the label Jymwear Dallas for a little over 10 years. Selling to
a national market was challenging but it left him wanting more
creatively. What started out at a hobby creating greeting cards Jim
created Jim Frederick Studios which is growing strong with over 150
designs in both greeting cards and gift totes. The biggest surprise
and Jim’s newest passion is his fine Art. You can view his
gallery at
www.jimfederickstudios.comLike my artwork, I feel like I'm a work in progress. - Jim Federick
Visit Jim Frederick Studios
http://www.jimfrederickstudios.com/index.phpBob Bowers - Da Pirate Retuns
Sunday June 14th at 9pm EST Youth
HIV/AIDS educator Bob Bowers
also known as " Da Pirate" returns to POZ I AM Radio. Bob is a 25-year
thriving survivor of HIV/AIDS. To broaden his message of prevention
through education,
survival, hope and compassion, he founded HIVictorious, Inc., which is
based in
Madison, Wisconsin. He is a powerful and motivating speaker that
reaches out to a large array of diverse
audiences. He is a tireless and passionate advocate helping to shape
HIV/AIDS policy. He is also active in fund-raising events, camps for
youth affected or
infected by HIV, guest-speaking engagements at colleges, jails,
community organizations,
and high schools and middle schools. Bob is
truly dedicated to making a lasting difference in the fight against
HIV/AIDS, as
well as addressing AIDS stigma and other social issues.
Visit One Tough Pirate
http://www.onetoughpirate.comKengiKat - Project KengKat
On Wednesday June 17th at 2pm EST KengiKat will share his amazing
story. Kengi’s life took a turn that he never thought could or
would ever happen in February 2007. He had just recently buried his
Pops after caring for him for over 3 years. was also in my 5th battle
with cancer. Homeless for 22 months , April 2008 Kengi was told he was
HIV+. Not only was he homeless and battling a life long fight with
Sickle Cell, Cancer and now HIV. Kengi thought he was already sinking,
but with being told was now HIV positive he felt as if someone had
just tied two anchors to my ankles and I was now being pulled under.
While Kengi was homeless he created an outreach program to draw
attention and raise awareness as well as provide support for people
who suffer through homelessness. Do Something Saturday .On the year
anniversary of him being HIV positive Kengi launched two outreaches
Unplugging HIV~empowering a positive life and Kengi's get tested
party. Unplugging HIV is a monthly outreach to low income and homeless
people living with HIV and AIDS
His Blog network- Project KengiKAT was started as a way for him to
raise awareness for issues that face people who are homeless, however
today it also seeks to raise awareness for people battling HIV and
AIDS.
KengiKat's Channel
http://www.youtube.com/kengikatKen Howard - HIV+ Therapist
Sunday June 21st at 9pm EST Ken Howard will be speaking with POZ I AM
Radio .Ken is a gay, poz psychotherapist and life coach in Los
Angeles. Ken has been poz for 19 years, and has worked with gay/poz
men to "Have the Life You Want!", by doing in-person counseling, an
iTunes Podcast, newsletter, and various public speaking engagements.
On Ken's website he has an archive of the many articles he wrote as
the HIV mental health columnist for A&U magazine for two years. Ken
also chaired the Los Angeles County HIV Mental Health Task Force for
10 years, and co-chaired their annual HIV Mental Health conference
along with UCLA/Pacific AIDS Education and Training Center.
Visit Ken's website
http://www.poztherapist.comMarvelyn Brown - The Naked Truth
Wednesday June 24th at 2pm EST Marvelyn Brown Shares her story and
will talk about her autobiography "The Naked Truth". Marvelyn Brown is
an Emmy Award winning AIDS Acticist and has even appeared on Oprah and
MTV and many other tv shows.
The surprisingly hopeful story of how a straight, nonpromiscuous,
everyday girl contracted HIV and how she manages to stay upbeat,
inspired, and more positive about life than ever before. At nineteen
years of age, Marvelyn Brown was lying in a stark white hospital bed
at Tennessee Christian Medical Center, feeling hopeless. A former top
track and basketball athlete, she was in the best shape of her life,
but she was battling a sudden illness in the intensive care unit.
Doctors had no idea what was going on. It never occurred to Brown that
she might be HIV positive. Having unprotected sex with her Prince
Charming had set into swift motion a set of circumstances that not
only landed her in the fight of her life, but also alienated her from
her community. Rather than give up, however, Brown found a reason to
fight and a reason to live.
The Naked Truth is an inspirational memoir that shares how an everyday
teen refused to give up on herself, even as others would forsake her.
More, it's a cautionary tale that every parent, guidance counselor,
and young adult should read.
Visit Marvelyn Brown
http://www.marvelynbrown.comAnthony Bongiorno - The Friends of AIDS Foundation
Sunday June 29th at 9pm EST Anthony Bongiorno the President of The
Friends of AIDS Foundation will share his story. During the
1990’s, Anthony was involved in the drug scene and as a result,
found himself picking up several cases. He continued to struggle with
the whole drug lifestlye for many years until he met his soon to be
wife in 2003.
They married and he began to clean up his legal wreckage from the past
and was ordered to do time. He took a short leave of absence from
work. While away, his wife had an extra-marital affair and contracted
the HIV virus.
Upon his return home, the virus was transmitted to Anthony and their
relationship became strained. The following year she committed suicide
and Anthony was now alone.
His personal interest is to create a positive impact that will change
the future course of the pandemic by helping to develop healthy
futures for communities impacted by HIV/AIDS. It is his goal to help
bridge the gap for those impacted by thisdisease by delivering
innovative programs that enhance the quality of life for HIV positive
individuals and cutting edge programs that empower people to make
healthy choices to prevent the spread of the HIV virus. His motto is
“Together We Remain Strong!”
The Friends of AIDS Foundation
http://www.friendsofaids.org/home.htmlIf your looking for a an easy way to meet other HIV+ people in your
area or with the same interests then create a group on the POZIAM
community. It is the fastest and easiest way to make new friends.
Bloggers - COMING SOON
Within the next two weeks POZIAM will be featuring Bloggers on the
community. POZIAM is looking for some women who may be interested in
Blogging. Please contact Robert@...
A blog is a personal diary. A daily pulpit. A collaborative space. A
political soapbox. A breaking-news outlet. A collection of links. Your
own private thoughts. Memos to the world. Your blog is whatever you
want it to be. There are millions of them, in all shapes and sizes,
and there are no real rules.
Group Chat - Every Tuesday at 8pm EST
On POZIAM we schedule a Member ONLY group chat on every Tuesday at
8pm EST. To participate in the group chat you must log into the POZIAM
community and either use the Chat Tab or the gray bar at the bottom of
that page. All Chats are open forum ... this gives yet another place
to ask questions, share stories and meet other members. You can use
the chat room anytime your on POZIAM.
Interactive Arcade
Last month the POZIAM Community released the POZIAM Arcade. This is
a totally interactive within the POZIAM Community. The arcade has over
200 games and includes a scoring system with a leader-board for all
members. They have classic games Like Tetris , Frogger, Solitaire..
plus many more games..Log and compete against other members to get the
high score.
Poz Brotherhood Retreat - June 16-20th
This 5-day retreat is an international gathering of HIV-positive gay
and bi-sexual men who seek to enrich their lives through deeper
insights, awareness and connections to both the community and oneself.
We will be learning about medical, psychological and spiritual tools
to help create healthier and more fulfilling lives while forging bonds
and friendships with other HIV-positive gay men from different parts
of the world. The program will include informational and instructional
sessions as well as exercises and participation by all the attendees
with attention given to the full body-mind-spirit connection. We will
also have plenty of time for social activities with movie screenings,
nature hikes, and some parties.
Sign up here
http://www.brotherhoodretreats.comThe POZIAM community - P.O.Box 1299 - Levittown - PA - 19058
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