I’m walking in the SF AIDS Walk this year with deep humility, gratitude, and purpose.

On March 30, 2026, I was diagnosed with chronic hepatitis C from an exposure that happened in 1983 — something that was known, but incredibly difficult to diagnose at the time, especially in a child with none of the expected risk factors. Growing up, I went through years of medical tests without fully understanding the larger picture. Now, more than four decades later, I finally do.

By the grace of God, my liver damage was caught in time, and I am currently in treatment with Epclusa. Already, the changes feel profound — especially the fatigue I carried for years without fully understanding why.

This journey has been deeply personal, but it has also become something bigger: a reminder of how vital public health, early testing, access to healthcare, and stigma-free treatment truly are.

On July 19, I’ll be walking with Team Goth just days after completing treatment — hopefully marking the moment I clear this virus 43 years after exposure.

This walk is for my own healing, but it’s also in honor of the countless people during the AIDS crisis who were also fighting hepatitis C, often without the treatments or answers we have today.

I walk for survival.
I walk for awareness.
I walk for public health.
I walk to honor those we lost, those still fighting, and the life-saving power of access, advocacy, and hope.