Meet the staff.

[Ella]

Hi Doug (I've welcomed you elsewhere, but welcome again!)  How do you become a professional 29 year old - can I apply?

[Lee]

Thank you all so much for sharing so much, and inspiring such hope, caring and support.  Blessings to you all.

[MissyMouse]

Gee, someone said I should put something here  .

I'm Missy and I live on Central Florida's treasure coast with my husband, SkydiverBill.  I'm a 47 year old female with genotype 1a, Stage 3, Grade 3/4 liver disease.  I did 48 weeks of PegIntron and Riba from May 2006 until April 13, 3007.  I relapsed 6 months post and will be starting round 2 any day now.  I contracted HCV through one of a zillion blood or platlet transfusions that I received while on chemo for Leukemia in 1983-1985.  I beat cancer and I can beat this.  I did wind up with Rheumatoid Arthritis from the first round of treatment and I'm gonna beat that somehow too.

I plan on being part of the hcvanonymous family for a long, long time.  They are super bunch of people.

Anyway, that's me. 

Missy (Mouse)

[pete c]

To All the members of the  Board

I just want to say thanks for starting this site, and supporting all those that come here for help.I know tha you have given me the strenght to keep on going. I just want you to know that iam gratefulf to have found this site. God  Bless all of you .


                                                                      pete c

[DESERTROSE]

HI ALL, MY NAME IS DESERTROSE AND I AM A NEWBIE WITH IA, FAILED TX BUT MAY BE STARTING ONE IN THE FALL. HOPING TO START A SUPPORT GROUP IN MY AREA IN THE FALL IF ALL GOES WELL. IT IS NICE TO HAVE FOUND YOU GUYS, I NEED YOU ALL ALOT,   THANKS

[gregg rowe]

Hi Staff

My name is Gregg and I live in rural Northern Quebec.  I was diagnosed with HIV in 1983 at the age of twenty-three years old. 

In 2000, the doctors discovered that the left side of my heart had stopped and the right-side had compensated the work and pumping on its own.  After a four-year battle with hospital adminastrators and a lawyer's letter threatening a lawsuit for discrimaination (I am gay and now over forty), I finally received open-heart surgery.  A goggle search turned up more documents on doctors refusing gay men over forty heart operations.

The reason for the surgery was so that I could prepare my body to handle the Pegatron treatment for HepC, which I was diagnosed with in the year 2000.  After twenty-four weeks Pegatron showed promises of eradication but not enough for the government to continue paying for the treatment.  The doctors asked me if I wanted to stop the treatment or go and take a more powerful Interferon called Pegasus.  Without taking a break from Pegatron treatment, I endured another forty-eight weeks of Interferon that ended in December 2007. 

I have now waited the six months of completing my Interferon treatments and have recieved the test results and am happy to report that after all I endured I am HepC eradicated and plan to stay that way for as long as I can.

I am an accomplished poet (please check my posts in the Creative Writing section of this site), novelist, essayist, photographer and painter.

I have been an AIDS activist since my diagnosis in 1983 and am the founder and co-founder of four AIDS community organizations in Quebec and Canada. 

Thank you for this site, even though I may be cured of the HepC virus I still live everyday with HIV.  This has been stressful on some days and now I hope that they will open a site for Shingle survivors.  I have had serious outbreaks of shingles over the past five yers now, the latest outbreak resulting in me having to take the medication for a full year because everytime I complete the prescription of two weeks and stop, I break out again.  So I will be on this medication until December 2008.

I have had a lot of experience in living spitrituallly over the years and am a recovering alcoholic coming back to the rooms after a nine-month slip after seven years of sobriety.  (The Pegasus treatment made me suicidal and I tried to commit suicide by drinking myself to death.)   I am digently working my Step Program and belong to the sister site HIV Anonymous.   That's all for now!

[MissyMouse]

Welcome to our little corner of the web Gregg!  I have read the stuff you posted in the creative writing forum and it certainly is iimpressive.  What a nice addition you have brought to us.

Mouse

[Hank's mom]

Hi Gregg -

I met you in the Creative Writing section last night - you are gifted. But, sadly, you came by the knowledge you wrote about in a very hard way. Your empathy for your neighbor in the ER, in your account or in reality, speaks to your dedication for all those who are stricken with these horrible viruses and the community of gays, that in spite of all you have had to go through, you continue to educate and advocate by wanting to create a site for public awareness and healing for those with shingles - yet another cruel virus.

It is a pleasure to meet you and have you join our ranks,
Susie

[keezzy]

please help am new to this thanks

[MissyMouse]

keezy,

what kind of help do you need.  We are here for ya.

Mouse