I first tested HIV+ in June of 1988. The only treatment available at that time was the highly poisonous AZT, which I declined despite enormous pressure. I managed to stay healthy and off all pharmaceutical treatments for HIV for the next 22 years, taking care of myself by other means.
Then, in 2008 I was diagnosed with KS (Kaposi’s Sarcoma). I chose to treat the KS non-pharmaceutically as well, until and/or unless I was certain I had exhausted all other possibilities. It was nearly impossible to find the data and resources to help me figure out what to do. I went to a hospital in Mexico which offered alternative treatment and eventually, with the help of a doctor in Peru (via Skype), came up with an herbal and dietary regimen. For a while it was looking hopeful. My KS lesions were clearing up!
However, in December of 2009 I contracted a bronchial infection, perhaps PCP (Pneumocystis Carinii Pneumonia) though I never got a conclusive diagnosis. I also became severely anemic and eventually had to acknowledge that I was unable to successfully self-treat this perfect storm of infections. I was hospitalized in April, 2010 and came very, very close to death.
This photo essay is a record of my experiences during my visit to the hospital in Mexico, my time at the Hospital in the US including the ICU, and my ongoing outpatient treatments.
