How did YOU get here?

[Ann]

Tex,

I PMd you some instructions on how to find your posts in the old forum.

Ann
(who didn't want to hijack another thread)

[Just John]

Google.

I searched the net frantically for any and all information that I could get for the first few months after diagnosis, until I got sick with overload. When I returned a few months or so later, I bookmarked a couple of sites as being particularly informative and helpful, "Aidsmeds and Aidsmap", it was only last year that I joined the forum just before it changed. Like many others I suspect I lurk a lot; even though I have so many questions I don't feel really comfortable about asking them just yet or revealing too much about myself, (Hell I am an Englishman after all  ) but a lot of them are asked by other people anyhow and I learn a lot in the background. I really am glad I found you though, just knowing that I'm not alone has kept me from harm on many occasions, thank you all.

John.

[Life]

Grew up at TheBody cus my doctor told me about it..  Spent alot of time learning and growing comfortable.  I grew very tired of the Anon's and alot of bullshit that I had to sift through.  I knew about aidsmeds but heard it was a ruff place for the newly infected and a bit scary.   I signed on for the first time here and got involved in one of those 500 thread counts on LIVING vs DYING threads here which scared me back for a while...  Finally, I figured I needed to stay put somewhere where there was a healthy population of people living with HIV.. The other only had a few who are still near and dear to my heart.   I think a few have migrated here on their own as well as me...  I am happy to call this home for the long haul now... I feel safe..

[Oceanbeach]

Hi David,

On September 30, 2005 the Ryan White CARE Act expired.  This represents a $1.4 million annual loss for the care and services needed by the 700 persons living in Sonoma County, California who are currently in care and for the 1800 to 2400 persons who are HIV positive but not yet in care.  I was enrolled in the L.I.F.E. program at the time and two of the other members of that group were members of the Persons Living With HIV/AIDS Committee (PAC).

I became a member of that committee that month.  During the first PAC meeting I attended there was discussion of starting a grass roots letter writing campaign, which would begin in Sonoma County and go nation wide because all of us have family and friends in other states.  I don't write letters, don't know many people who do and felt the grandmother or cousin or high school friends of the people living in Sonoma County who have HIV/AIDS may have a difficult time writing letters to Congress.

There is no available funding for what I started by the design of www.Commission-n-AIDS.org so I purchased the domain name and started writing.  Since there is also no funding to support such a venture, I paid every fee out of my disability income.  I have been living with HIV for 12 years and AIDS for 10 of those years.  I had asked quite a few favors from a lot of people to get this project online and functioning.  WEbincome of Colorado offered to design and manage the site at no charge.

I also became a Commissioner of the Sonoma County Commission on AIDS, a member of Basic Needs Committee, Executive Committee, a founding member of Re-Entry Task Force and the press contact for the Commission.

Since my site has been online since December 1, 2005, the viewers of this site has gone from 10 to 1733 and down to 16 each week.  There has been about 60,000 viewers from Japan to Russia in the past 10 months.  The weekly web traffic reports show a consistent 10% referrals from AIDSmeds.com.  That is why I am here, to reach the largest number of people living with HIV/AIDS.  It is the support from the members of these forums that keeps me going.

During these past 10 months, there have only been 9 total log-ins from the County of Sonoma.  They are funded by the government and not allowed to participate in lobbying the government.  They are however very proud of my efforts and constantly remind me of how happy they are that I will publically say the things they are not allowed to say.

Having spent the past three months on the Funding Allocation Working Group, I have come to the realization that I do not personally benefit from Title I funding as all my needs are covered by Medicare, Medi-Cal and HOPWA.  When Sonoma County loses it's $1.4 million per year, my loss will be AIDS Emergency fund.  That amount covers almost enough to purchase firewood for part of a California Winter.  I can write a check for that.

Last November, I was invited to attend the annual HIV Planning Retreat in Petaluma.  I was not a Commissioner at the time but more active in COA activities than most of the voting members.  I still am more active than most of them.  I have taken the last couple of months off from the Commission, the sub-committees, the Task Forces and the forums because I can not continue to spend every waking hour on HIV issues with no or little support from the organizations which my work supports.

I did attend the COA meeting this month and was asked to be sure and attend the HIV Planning Retreat again this year because with the loss of Title I funding as written in the current legislation, changes will have to be made in order to maintain the array of services offered.  The focus of this years Planning Retreat is based on transition and maintaining services.  I am being requested to open an independent Public Relations firm to represent the COA and the related HIV support organizations.

For the past year, I have been sending press releases, letter to the editors of 45 newspapers and radio stations in Sonoma, Marin, Napa, Lake, Mendocino and Humboldt Counties.  Several publishers will print anything I write because they are used to the prepared and predictable material as received from the County of Sonoma, and the ASO's.  They are aware I have AIDS and what I may say is not edited and comes from the heart.

Over the next month, I am going to take on the task of redesigning the site to build up my tracking numbers and hopefully get the steam going to get the letters sent to the Congress members who are responsible for the RWCA reauthorization.  I will be taking this new site to the HIV Planning Retreat along with a business plan, and a time line for all the necessary documentation to begin the next phase of this project.  I have a lender who is willing to put up the money to start this new venture and a workforce consisting of people living with HIV/AIDS. 

It took a lot of effort to get me heading in this venture but of every one, the most support has come to me from these forums.  Have the best day
Michael 

[joyluckclub]

I was in the County Early Intervention Clinic and was reading POZ magazine

[Longislander]

I'd joined POZ for the dating thing many months ago. Only saw the 'forums' link there a few weeks ago. Wish I had come across it in the beginning, would have been a brighter winter!

[lostboy]

I googled in.  This forum has been a great resource, invaluable to those of us who are newly diagnosed with so many questins.  It is reassuring to know that we are not alone.

[DanielMark]

Good question,

Like a few others here, I found this site through Google. At the time, I was feeling discouraged with my local ASO and the nitwits I met through their social programs. I thought surely there must be intelligent sane Poz people out there somewhere with whom to interact.

Daniel

[bedder1]

when i informed a friend who is poz that i had tested poz he suggested that i get myself into a support group and he reccomended poz.com and aidsmeds  im very glad that i found this site too as i am the type of person that wants to know as much as he can about a subject this important to me so i found the lessons and i find the forums extremely informative and although i didnt post for the first several weeks when i finally did i found that there is plenty of support from my peeers available here too and for that i am so thankful

[skeebo1969]

  I found Aidsmeds a week after I was diagnosed.  I was at a site called The Body and someone named ScottCharles sent me a message saying to check this site out. 

[Iggy]

.

[CaptCarl]

I found it through POZ Magazine, and decided to check it out, and I'm glad I did!
                                                                                                    Capt. Carl

[BKNYLivin]

found it today 1 week after diagnosis thru The Body and glad I did!

[DingoBoi]

How did YOU get here?

i'll say it frankly.. buttfucking

[purplerain]

Tested poz the health department and the day I did the guy that gave me my results recommended this site.  It took me a few days 2 actually log on and although it has been a while since I have been on here I am glad that I was directed in this direction

JAG

[livingpositively]

Google, today

I'd seen poz.com but didn't know of the forums, i was searching for *blush* poz orgies...

out of curiousity...  not to attend of course, just curious (my public position on this, and that it shall remain!)



Pup

Hmmmmmm.....does this mean that if one googles "poz orgies" a link for the AM Forums is a result?  WOW!!!

ROFLMAO     Who's hosting???  Who's attending???   

[Blixer]

It was the day of my diagnosis.  I had been called by my doctor's office to come into the office when I got off of work and was told that they would wait for me if I couldn't make it by 5 PM.  I knew the news was not good.  I drove 45 miles to the doctor and she came in, sat down, said "I have some bad news, you are HIV positive."  I was kind of dazed and just asked what I should do next.  I drove the 45 miles back home through a few tears and called a couple of close friends to tell them my unfortunate news.  Then I decided to try and get some sleep.  Just as I was about to drift off to sleep a panic attack suddenly hit me and I was out of bed pacing through the house.  I went to the computer and did a google search. I found both The Body and Aids Meds.  My first contact on The Body was with Eric who kindly did the cyber hand holding thing and has been there ever since for me.  I created an account on both The Body and Aids Meds but found Aids Meds a bit overwhelming for a newly infected person.  So I shyed away from here for a while and as Eric mentioned, I too "grew up" over at The Body.  Then I also got tired of all of the anon crap there and migrated over to a great group of friends here.

But yes, originally I found this through a google search the first night of my diagnosis as I sat at the computer in a panic not knowing what to do or who to turn to.

[emeraldize]

*

[Queen Tokelove]

I actually found this site from a friend in a poz chatroom. That chatroom and this site has become my line of support. I have learned a few things since being here and some things are still a little confusing for me. I have been here for about a week now. But I plan to be here for quite awhile.

Queen Akasha

[David84]

looking for POZ Magazine info.. I remember when POZ first issue came out and decided it was time to give it another look... many years later 

David

[Florida69]

It is all Eric's fault..... I was diagnosed in January, and like Eric and Blixer grew up on the Body, learned how to be a real boy.  I will say that I still find these boards overwhelming and some of the issue discussed scary, I come here to visit my friends that I made at the Body and just see how they are doing.  Otherwise, I try to stay out of the complex discussions.  D

[Jeffreyj]

Poz Magizine I think...
I'm not sure though...Lil

I do remember my name.

[TugaMan]

Well, like many of us, I also had been diagnosed recently and was googling for some information on meds and such. One year ago I was thinking my life would last "10 years". Now I don't anymore. Unless a bus hits me! 

[swede_dish]

A google search!

[ademas]

I can't remember.  It was probably a google search.
I had joined several other boards over the years that had very little activity.
I don't know why this one never popped up sooner.