Eden

I am equal parts scared and excited that The Ride Against AIDS officially begins in less than 48 hours--we will depart from Ocean Beach on Monday morning at 8:00 a.m. I am writing this post from the third floor (where the best Wi-Fi is) of the building in downtown San Francisco that houses the headquarters of FACE AIDS. I arrived in SF on Friday afternoon for orientation, which will continue until our departure on Monday morning. I want to give a special thank-you to my first host family of the summer, Bill and Roberta, who welcomed my dad and I into their home Thursday evening while we traveled through California. They were the most gracious hosts I could ask for while making the quick 24-hour transition between finishing finals and beginning this journey.

The weekend has been incredibly powerful so far--I have not only met my 18 amazing teammates but also heard their personal testimonies of why they are doing the Ride. We also had the incredible privilege of speaking with Gabo, who had the grace, poise, and wisdom to make me cry and laugh through just his spoken word in the course of only a half hour. Gabo is HIV+, but he is also an avid cyclist, caring friend, and caring community member of San Francisco. He is also part of a group called Positive Pedalers in San Francisco, a group of HIV+ men and women that cycle together regularly to support one another and to show the world that they are more than their diagnosis. Visit http://www.pospeds.org/ to learn more about them.

Gabo came to speak to us yesterday evening at the beginning of our orientation and told us his story. I am so grateful to him for sharing his painful, yet hopeful and ultimately inspiring story with us--our team couldn't have asked for a better person to remind us of why we are doing this Ride. We've all worked so hard to fundraise and train these past months. I've poured my heart and soul into preparing for this summer. But this journey is bigger than ourselves--we're showing every person living with HIV, no matter where he or she lives, that we care about them. We care, and we're biking this summer not just to support FACE AIDS programs but to show our solidarity with everyone affected by this disease that is still, after so many years of arduous research and advocacy, surrounded by stigma. Why is it socially acceptable to have cancer, but not be HIV+? Why is this issue not talked about more? I am humbled to be a part of a movement to continue to change the trend of silence about HIV/AIDS, but I am also happy to be biking across the country for a purpose because if I was doing this for myself, I wouldn't have made it this far (and the Ride hasn't even started yet).

Gabo also moved me because he strengthened my resolve in the more personal reason for doing the Ride. My family member, Eden, is very young and HIV+. I have always imagined myself to be helping Eden through my involvement in the Ride, but now I imagine myself and the team to be warriors defending her future as an HIV+ individual in the United States as an adult. I want her to feel comfortable enough to be open about her status, without fear of rejection or prejudice. I want her to have every opportunity available to HIV- individuals. I want her to be healthy, and to be happy and safe while being healthy.

I'll try to post again before we hit the road on Monday!