by Katherine Harbin
CHICAGO, Nov. 30 (Xinhua) -- First diagnosed with HIV in 1985, Jimmy Simpson has been around for it all.
Twenty-seven years ago, Simpson went to the doctor for a blood transfusion, a follow-up visit after five brain surgeries.
Instead, doctors told Simpson that his blood was tainted, and that he was HIV-positive.
The year was 1985, and the first AIDS cases had only been discovered four years ago. With much uncertainty still surrounding the newly-discovered disease and little treatment available, Simpson saw many of his fellow HIV-positive friends lose their lives during the period.
"It was very scary," Simpson told Xinhua in an exclusive interview about his experience of living with HIV. "I was thinking that I was going to die, because you know I saw a lot of people die."
Out of fear and ignorance about the disease, some people refused to sit next to him, or share the same bottle of water. Simpson said that in that time, there was still a large stigma about HIV/AIDS and that he and his partner faced discrimination.
That was then, Simpson said, reflecting on how HIV treatment and awareness had changed over the years.
"Now, I'm one of those lucky people who live 27 years to tell people if you do what your doctor says -- if you make your appointments, take your meds, eat correctly, and stop doing all that other negative stuff, and exercise, and keep yourself healthy -- you can live a normal and long life," Simpson said.
Simpson began volunteering with the Chicago's Test Positive Aware Network (TPAN) two and a half years ago, where he now leads a support group for HIV-positive men and women.
TPAN helps to provide medical, housing and other relief services for those living with HIV, but Simpson believes that simply sharing their different experiences could be the most beneficial to those who are HIV-positive.
"Being in that support group I can say saved my life, because I started to meet people in my same predicament," Simpson said. "Even though I wasn't newly-diagnosed, they were. And then when I told my story of how I survived, it helped a lot of people."
Simpson continues to reach out to others within the Chicago community about HIV, both those who have the disease and those who just want to learn more about the condition. He is very happy to share his experiences with others, and said that talking about HIV and inviting the community to learn more about it is essential.
"Get out there, learn. There's a lot of literature -- talk to somebody like myself, and I can explain to you there's ways so you don't have to worry," Simpson said.
"And if you are new -- and I'm speaking to the people who are newly diagnosed -- get into a group, talk to somebody, get some literature, talk, and you'll see it's not a death sentence like it was ten years ago I should say. You can live a normal life," he said.
Simpson said cultural acceptance towards people with HIV has improved drastically over the years, and he explains that now maybe only around 5 percent of people are still afraid of him because they don't fully understand how the disease can be contracted.
Thanks to a wealth of prevention literature and increased awareness efforts through centers like TPAN, most people are now more educated, and continued education is overall the most important part of HIV efforts in the future, he said.
"Ten years ago, yeah, I was discriminated against. Now, no. My neighbors, everybody knows -- I don't lie about my disease, because I'm not ashamed about it," he said.
Simpson and his partner, who is also HIV-positive, said they will continue to share their experiences with others in the hope that they will encourage others with HIV to embrace life and continue living.
The couple hopes to one day adopt an HIV-positive child, who would have perhaps contracted the disease from a deceased birth parent. Simpson hopes his extensive personal history with the disease could best guide his son or daughter with treatment in the future -- and above all, share his love of life with the next generation of HIV survivors.
Special Report: World AIDS Day 2011
