Op-Ed Letters to the Editor
Finding hope on World AIDS Day
BY DIANE DELPH-TINGLIN
I vividly remember the day I was diagnosed
with HIV. It was a normal trip to my doctor,
and I felt fi ne — like a healthy 22-yearold.
Then, I was called into the doctor’s offi ce
and my life suddenly took a drastic turn.
I remember my doctor’s words as if they
happened today: “We ran the test twice and
the result was the same. I’m so sorry — you
have HIV.”
This seemed inconceivable. I had been with
the same partner for the past three years. I had
never injected drugs. I was so young. What
happened? Would I have to spend the rest of
my life in and out of hospitals? How much longer
did I even have to live?
Those fi rst days, weeks, and months were
fi lled with anger and frustration. I felt my life
was over. I felt betrayed by my partner, who
had concealed his HIV status. I moved out
abruptly and was on my own. My entire world
had collapsed in such a short period of time,
and I felt completely, utterly alone, without
anyone to lean on for support.
That isolation was crippling, and even now I
am unsure where I found the strength to take
control of my life. It likely started when I had
the realization that HIV did not have to be a
death sentence, that I just needed to accept the
fact that this would be with me for the rest of
my life and that every decision I made moving
ahead would affect my health and my wellbeing.
I found compassion through Peer navigators
from The Alliance for Positive Change.
These were people who had experienced similar
health challenges, and trained to fan out
across New York City to connect with people
like me and assure me that HIV was not the
fi nal chapter, but a new chapter. They helped
me fi nd a doctor, took me to appointments,
and helped me develop a medication regimen.
What I needed most—and which helped the
most—was that they met me where I was on
my journey.
It has been a decade since I fi rst spoke with a
Peer. I became a Peer, too, serving as a source
of comfort and knowledge to others with HIV.
This is how I believe we are going to help end
the HIV and AIDS epidemic, not just through
medical advancements and preaching about
safe sex, but through credible messengers such
as Peers (which Alliance has been training for
more than 25 years). These ambassadors work
in communities throughout our city that need
it most, and their work to connect vulnerable
people to care is really helping to end this horrible
epidemic.
The advances are real. Our Governor recently
announced that New York State has
made signifi cant strides towards ending the
epidemic, and that is heartening to hear. If
only this were happening uniformly throughout
our communities, our country, and our
world.
I still worry about the stigma that prevents
many people from coming forward to seek
help, or, sadly, remaining off medication that
could make the HIV virus undetectable and
therefore untransmittable.
As we approach World AIDS Day on Dec.
1, I consider how my life has changed, and the
lives of those around me who committed to
change. I am now happily married to a man
who is HIV negative. I have a home, a career
as a staff member at Alliance, and a community.
It wasn’t easy to write this and be so public.
But in doing so, I hope that this in some way
helps to erase the stigma about HIV and motivates
those who are now facing similar fears
about their future to seek support.
Diane Delph-Tinglin is a Lead Trainer at
The Alliance for Positive Change.
A PLEA FOR
RELIEF
My husband and I are retirees
with Social Security as our
income, living in New York
City Housing, which is what
we could afford. However, the
rent still goes up every year
and the cost of my husband’s
most important medicines for
his diabetes goes up too!
You might as well put us to
live under a bridge and die.
What is a low-income family
supposed to do to survive? I
pray to God you would never
have to face a situation like
many of us!
Irma Pereira
NEED TO KEEP
CHARACTER
Regarding the recent Manhattan
Community Board 2
vote against the special hotel
permits south of Union Square
(Nov. 21): I’m against the proposal
to allow large commercial
buildings to replace older
structures in our neighborhood
and take away protections and
in some cases eliminating rent
regulated apartments in the
process. We need to preserve
the character of the neighborhood.
Larry Barkin
MAKE
IMPROVEMENTS
NOW
The most cost effective time
to do any additional work
along the L line in Manhattan
would be when the stations are
shut down during tunnel reconstruction.
The contractor is already
on site, mobilized with a staging
area for workers, supplies
and debris removal. There is
little need for NYC Transit to
provide expensive Force Account
(track employees) Flagging
protection for Third Party
Construction Contractors
workers. Third Rail power can
be turned off and there is no
active passenger train service.
This work could be added
as an optional clause, or as
a change order to the base
construction contract. MTA
could exercise the option at a
later date during construction
when future funding could become
available.
Going back years or decades
later to attempt any of
this work west of 8th Avenue
along 14th Street will be far
more expensive and take many
more years to complete. Any
construction adjacent to 24/7
train service would require extensive
expensive NYC Transit
Force Account Flagging support.
Larry Penner
Local News
Read all about it!
thevillager.com
Schneps Media November 28, 2019 13
/thevillager.com
