Adventures in the World of Travel and Entertainment™ / International Edition
"One Year Ago I Tested HIV Positive" ...Nicholas Snow, January 3rd, 2009
"One Year Ago I Tested HIV Positive" ...Nicholas Snow, January 3rd, 2009
Nicholas Snow sent this email to everyone in his address book at about 1:00 p.m. on January 3rd, 2009, Bangkok time:
Hello, and Happy New Year from Nicholas Snow!
I am sending this email to everyone in my address book (friends, family, business colleagues, former friends, etc.) with two goals in mind.
The short and simple goal is to learn whether or not you still want to be in my address book. If you want to be excluded from future emails, please simply respond with "remove" in the subject line. Also, I now also send emails from my new web sites listed at the bottom of this email, so make sure you add those domains (that you are a member of) to your approved lists if you use spam software.
The second reason is to share with you some highlights of my journey since testing HIV positive on January 3rd, 2008, to hopefully make a difference in your life and/or the lives of the people you know (some of you know everything I am sharing). In November of this year I launched the "Get Tested, Live Longer" HIV/AIDS Awareness Campaign which I promote in a variety of ways, including from all of my web sites, and the new HIV Awareness web site, www.ActionEqualsLife.com.
Unfortunately the majority of people with HIV first learn they have HIV because they become ill with an opportunistic infection and seek medical treatment as the result. The goal is for people who may be at risk for HIV is to have 100% compliance with safer sex guidelines (such as using condoms), and to get voluntary HIV testing on a regular basis. If someone learns they are HIV positive as the result of voluntary testing early after exposure, then they can monitor their CD4 or t-cell count with their doctor and take medicine when appropriate. The medicine is to to keep the HIV positive person healthy for as long as possible, and there are people who are living decades with HIV. I am told that a normal lifespan is possible.
There are however drug-resistant strains of HIV which render available medications ineffective. This is a reason why an HIV positive person should still have safe sex with another HIV positive person so they do not reinfect one another with a drug-resistant strain of HIV.
I had reason to suspect I may be HIV positive because of an unsafe sex incident in early August, 2007. In not all cases, but in many cases, shortly after someone becomes HIV positive they experience a flu-like illness. I experienced the flu-like illness, went to the doctor, and through the process of elimination it was suggested to me that I could have what is called "Acute HIV infection." The sort of test they give someone early on after HIV exposure to confirm they have HIV is expensive. I could not afford this test at the time so I went home, the flu-like symptoms subsided (as they do), and I went on with my life knowing what could be.
The reason I was exposed to HIV is because I did not use a condom. As I have shared, the reasons I did not use a condom are that 1) I was depressed and not taking care of myself; 2) I was with someone who said and believed he was HIV negative. 3) I had a false sense of security about remaining negative since I had done so for decades. 4) I did not know that at least three out of 10 men who have sex with men in the Bangkok area are HIV positive. As I have also written, none of these are good reasons for not using a condom, but they are HUMAN reasons.
Even without any of the above contributing circumstances, people can have unsafe sex in moment of passion.
As a new year's resolution last year, I sought out an anonymous, free HIV test at the Silom Community Clinic on January 3rd. Today, one year later, I am one of the most visible openly-HIV positive people in Asia. I have written about this journey is a book that I am gradually publishing online at ActionEqualsLife.com, called "Life Positive: A Journey From The Center of my Heart."
I do not work for an AIDS organization. I am not on anybody's payroll for HIV issues. I am not seeking funding or this sort of job or for my own community-service campaign. My goal in coming out as an HIV positive person was to infuse the above messages into everything I do, not just with my existing media platform, but in my every day life, and to whatever broader audience I have the capability of reaching.
The end result is that I am on a new journey where I can be completely open an honest about this issue wherever I go. On most days I wear a t-shirt which says:
"You now know you know someone who is HIV positive. The absolute latest fashion is to know your HIV status. Get tested. Live longer. www.ActionEqualsLife.com."
I wear the t-shirt on the subway, the sky train, to movies sets, to parties, to the gym, everywhere.
Since early October, I have reached tens of thousands of people with these messages, a great deal of whom are gay men, and also, through my mainstream media outreach, I have been able to reach, and continue to reach, females who may be in relationships with men who have sex with men and do not even know this.
It's not so important to me that I am personally the HIV positive poster boy in Asia. What is important to me is that the media tells the stories of all people who choose to identify themselves as being HIV positive in this part of the world. There is a virtual absence of openly-HIV positive people in Asia, so I have created the HIV Positive Speaker's Bureau registry at ActionEqualsLife.com for anyone who wants to join, and now, I AM NOT THE ONLY MEMBER! The numbers are growing!
P.P. Pratak Simapichaichath Service project Director, Mr Nicholas Snow of Action Equals Life, Rotary of Bangkapi President Park Sun-Ho, Rtn Karin Lohitnavy Public Relations Director and Rtn Sukit Tanthuwanit Program Chairman. Nicholas Snow addressed the Rotary of Bangkapi Club on October 7, 2008, at the Grand Hyatt Erawan Hotel, as a person living openly with HIV. This was the first time anyone in attendance had ever heard someone say in a public forum, "I am HIV positive."
One year after testing HIV positive, I am filled with hope. And in telling the truth about my situation, my life has grown tremendously, and for the most part, I haven't experienced any negative consequences that I know of.
To those of you who have basically dropped me from your lives, and you know who you are, I send you love and light and good wishes. I know I am responsible for driving some of you away and I did what I could do to make amends and clean up my side of the street. I am sorry that I was unsuccessful in restoring your confidence that we could still be friends, and I hope to see you on the road to happy destiny.
Find more photos like this on ActionEqualsLife.com
Above, media clippings resulting from Nicholas Snow's HIV awareness campaign.
To all of you, let's make this the best year ever! If I can be supportive of you personally or professionally, please let me know!
Most sincerely, and as I like to sign most of my communications to friends and family...
Big Hugs,
Nicholas
Above, Nicholas Snow Speaks at ActionEqualsLife.com Launch Press Conference.
Part II will start playing automatically after Part I. Just allow a few moments for the transition.
Nicholas Snow, Chief Creative Officer
Nicholas Snow Productions
______________________________
Company Web Sites:
www.NotesFromTheWorld.com
www.NotesFromHollywood.com
www.NotesFromThailand.com
www.NotesFromTheBigApple.com
www.NotesFromPalmSprings.com
www.NotesFromBollywood.com
______________________________
Nicholas Snow's Web Sites:
www.NicholasSnow.com
www.YouTube.com/NicholasSnow
______________________________
Community Service Web Site:
www.ActionEqualsLife.com
(Promoting HIV/AIDS awareness; lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender civil rights; and human rights in general.)
______________________________
Bangkok Office
Nicholas Snow Productions
43 Sathorn Soi 1 (Soi Attakarnprasit)
South Sathorn Road, Thungmahamek
Bangkok 10120 Thailand
BKK Mobile Phone/Voicemail:
081-497-6167
______________________________
Hollywood Office
Nicholas Snow Productions
7985 Santa Monica Blvd., Suite 109-10
West Hollywood, California 90046
Office: (310) 928-7687
Nicholas Snow sent this email to everyone in his address book at about 1:00 p.m. on January 3rd, 2009, Bangkok time:
Hello, and Happy New Year from Nicholas Snow!
I am sending this email to everyone in my address book (friends, family, business colleagues, former friends, etc.) with two goals in mind.
The short and simple goal is to learn whether or not you still want to be in my address book. If you want to be excluded from future emails, please simply respond with "remove" in the subject line. Also, I now also send emails from my new web sites listed at the bottom of this email, so make sure you add those domains (that you are a member of) to your approved lists if you use spam software.
The second reason is to share with you some highlights of my journey since testing HIV positive on January 3rd, 2008, to hopefully make a difference in your life and/or the lives of the people you know (some of you know everything I am sharing). In November of this year I launched the "Get Tested, Live Longer" HIV/AIDS Awareness Campaign which I promote in a variety of ways, including from all of my web sites, and the new HIV Awareness web site, www.ActionEqualsLife.com.
Unfortunately the majority of people with HIV first learn they have HIV because they become ill with an opportunistic infection and seek medical treatment as the result. The goal is for people who may be at risk for HIV is to have 100% compliance with safer sex guidelines (such as using condoms), and to get voluntary HIV testing on a regular basis. If someone learns they are HIV positive as the result of voluntary testing early after exposure, then they can monitor their CD4 or t-cell count with their doctor and take medicine when appropriate. The medicine is to to keep the HIV positive person healthy for as long as possible, and there are people who are living decades with HIV. I am told that a normal lifespan is possible.
There are however drug-resistant strains of HIV which render available medications ineffective. This is a reason why an HIV positive person should still have safe sex with another HIV positive person so they do not reinfect one another with a drug-resistant strain of HIV.
I had reason to suspect I may be HIV positive because of an unsafe sex incident in early August, 2007. In not all cases, but in many cases, shortly after someone becomes HIV positive they experience a flu-like illness. I experienced the flu-like illness, went to the doctor, and through the process of elimination it was suggested to me that I could have what is called "Acute HIV infection." The sort of test they give someone early on after HIV exposure to confirm they have HIV is expensive. I could not afford this test at the time so I went home, the flu-like symptoms subsided (as they do), and I went on with my life knowing what could be.
The reason I was exposed to HIV is because I did not use a condom. As I have shared, the reasons I did not use a condom are that 1) I was depressed and not taking care of myself; 2) I was with someone who said and believed he was HIV negative. 3) I had a false sense of security about remaining negative since I had done so for decades. 4) I did not know that at least three out of 10 men who have sex with men in the Bangkok area are HIV positive. As I have also written, none of these are good reasons for not using a condom, but they are HUMAN reasons.
Even without any of the above contributing circumstances, people can have unsafe sex in moment of passion.
As a new year's resolution last year, I sought out an anonymous, free HIV test at the Silom Community Clinic on January 3rd. Today, one year later, I am one of the most visible openly-HIV positive people in Asia. I have written about this journey is a book that I am gradually publishing online at ActionEqualsLife.com, called "Life Positive: A Journey From The Center of my Heart."
I do not work for an AIDS organization. I am not on anybody's payroll for HIV issues. I am not seeking funding or this sort of job or for my own community-service campaign. My goal in coming out as an HIV positive person was to infuse the above messages into everything I do, not just with my existing media platform, but in my every day life, and to whatever broader audience I have the capability of reaching.
The end result is that I am on a new journey where I can be completely open an honest about this issue wherever I go. On most days I wear a t-shirt which says:
"You now know you know someone who is HIV positive. The absolute latest fashion is to know your HIV status. Get tested. Live longer. www.ActionEqualsLife.com."
I wear the t-shirt on the subway, the sky train, to movies sets, to parties, to the gym, everywhere.
Since early October, I have reached tens of thousands of people with these messages, a great deal of whom are gay men, and also, through my mainstream media outreach, I have been able to reach, and continue to reach, females who may be in relationships with men who have sex with men and do not even know this.
It's not so important to me that I am personally the HIV positive poster boy in Asia. What is important to me is that the media tells the stories of all people who choose to identify themselves as being HIV positive in this part of the world. There is a virtual absence of openly-HIV positive people in Asia, so I have created the HIV Positive Speaker's Bureau registry at ActionEqualsLife.com for anyone who wants to join, and now, I AM NOT THE ONLY MEMBER! The numbers are growing!
P.P. Pratak Simapichaichath Service project Director, Mr Nicholas Snow of Action Equals Life, Rotary of Bangkapi President Park Sun-Ho, Rtn Karin Lohitnavy Public Relations Director and Rtn Sukit Tanthuwanit Program Chairman. Nicholas Snow addressed the Rotary of Bangkapi Club on October 7, 2008, at the Grand Hyatt Erawan Hotel, as a person living openly with HIV. This was the first time anyone in attendance had ever heard someone say in a public forum, "I am HIV positive."
One year after testing HIV positive, I am filled with hope. And in telling the truth about my situation, my life has grown tremendously, and for the most part, I haven't experienced any negative consequences that I know of.
To those of you who have basically dropped me from your lives, and you know who you are, I send you love and light and good wishes. I know I am responsible for driving some of you away and I did what I could do to make amends and clean up my side of the street. I am sorry that I was unsuccessful in restoring your confidence that we could still be friends, and I hope to see you on the road to happy destiny.
Find more photos like this on ActionEqualsLife.com
Above, media clippings resulting from Nicholas Snow's HIV awareness campaign.
To all of you, let's make this the best year ever! If I can be supportive of you personally or professionally, please let me know!
Most sincerely, and as I like to sign most of my communications to friends and family...
Big Hugs,
Nicholas
Above, Nicholas Snow Speaks at ActionEqualsLife.com Launch Press Conference.
Part II will start playing automatically after Part I. Just allow a few moments for the transition.
Nicholas Snow, Chief Creative Officer
Nicholas Snow Productions
______________________________
Company Web Sites:
www.NotesFromTheWorld.com
www.NotesFromHollywood.com
www.NotesFromThailand.com
www.NotesFromTheBigApple.com
www.NotesFromPalmSprings.com
www.NotesFromBollywood.com
______________________________
Nicholas Snow's Web Sites:
www.NicholasSnow.com
www.YouTube.com/NicholasSnow
______________________________
Community Service Web Site:
www.ActionEqualsLife.com
(Promoting HIV/AIDS awareness; lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender civil rights; and human rights in general.)
______________________________
Bangkok Office
Nicholas Snow Productions
43 Sathorn Soi 1 (Soi Attakarnprasit)
South Sathorn Road, Thungmahamek
Bangkok 10120 Thailand
BKK Mobile Phone/Voicemail:
081-497-6167
______________________________
Hollywood Office
Nicholas Snow Productions
7985 Santa Monica Blvd., Suite 109-10
West Hollywood, California 90046
Office: (310) 928-7687
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