On the Mend, On the Move
February 28, 2011
I still feel pretty rough, but getting better… managed to get out during the day yesterday, which is a step in the right direction. Am also well enough to go forward with a week-long trip for a little r&r, even though staying at home sounds quite relaxing. Once I get off the plane, all will be good.
Am leaving today, so may not be on the blog too much this week. Just wanted to give an update, because I don’t like leaving anyone in the dark when I post that I’m not feeling well. Based on how everyone else has dealt with this bug in town, I can expect another few days of an annoying cough and three more hours of sleep than I usually require a day.
I can deal with that!
Thanks to everyone for your well-wishes. I’ll be back stronger than ever in about a week.
Positively Yours,
Shawn
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Website: ShawnandGwenn.com
Also check out the lovely Gwenn’s Fashion/Coffee Blog
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ill-timed illness
February 24, 2011
I had a good run last year, and into 2011, on not getting the crud that’s been going around. It seems like everyone I know has been sick with a cough, temperature, or sinus infections…. well, my run of good fortune ended on Tuesday night…
And the timing really sucks.
I woke up Wednesday with a slight temperature of 100 degrees. I must have coughed myself awake ten times. Putting my tail between my legs, I canceled on a book club meeting I was supposed to go to that evening. I guess one of the dangers of having an author with HIV is that they do have a compromised immune system. When I called the host of the book club meeting, and left a voicemail, I had to end it with, “Oh! But tell the book club that I’m actually pretty healthy these days! My t-cells are pretty high! I’ll be there next month, for sure!”
So instead of going, I ate chicken noodle soup and watched some wrestling I had backlogged on TiVo. Then I texted my pool league teammates and let them know I wouldn’t be available for a tournament this weekend, because I know how these types of illnesses go. What sucks most, is that I have three days to get better, because I have a big trip coming up next week. So if I’m not blogging, just know that I’ll blog again and that I’m taking a little r&r time to beat this bug.
Positively Yours,
Shawn
Watch, Friend and Follow me on:
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Website: ShawnandGwenn.com
Also check out the lovely Gwenn’s Fashion/Coffee Blog
My CD, Synthetic Division, A Symptom of Life, is on iTunes!
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Rep. Anthony Weiner Is Great
February 24, 2011
I love this guy. Here, Rep. Weiner asks House Republicans to give up their cushy health insurance plans if they are so against people being able to get decent coverage. Sure, he’s a blowhard, but that’s what makes him shine. And I think the Democrats need more people who stand up for their convictions.
Thank you, Mr. Weiner!
Positively Yours,
Shawn
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I’m Insured, Sort Of! (Plus Pre-Existing Condition Plans)
February 21, 2011
“I’m back, bitches.” – Britney Spears
This weekend I got my letter of approval- I have been accepted onto Medicaid. Maybe it’s not technically insurance, but it’s a health program and I’m happy to be on it. The timing was interesting, since I’d just posted on Friday about being uninsured for two months. The messages of support really mean a lot, and I hate posting things that make people worry about me…
A couple of friends who work in this field passed along some information that I wanted to share, in case anyone else is in the same situation I was. If you’re having trouble finding insurance due to health reasons, check out the PCIP (Pre-Existing Condition Insurance Plan). Also, some states have programs for high-risk pools.
Positively Yours,
Shawn
Watch, Friend and Follow me on:
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Also check out the lovely Gwenn’s Fashion/Coffee Blog
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I Am Uninsured
February 18, 2011
Yup. I have joined the over 50 million Americans who do not have health insurance. My private health insurance dropped the dead weight- me- at the end of last year. Here’s how it all went down…
Let’s start at the beginning. I was covered under my father’s health insurance and, due to hemophilia, I was considered disabled as a child. That means that I was supposed to be covered for life, even after his retirement in 1999 from his state job. At the time, I’d just moved into my own place, and Gwenn I had fallen in love. Also, I was very sick and unaware of any of the logistics of my health insurance. My main priority was getting my health back on track.
Somehow, the “covered for life” thing fell through the cracks with my father’s employer and Blue Cross. As a result, I was off my father’s insurance, and instead of righting the wrong, Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield decided to cover me under an individual policy. Over the course of ten years, I was hospitalized twice, but based on my fairly high monthly premium ($1200) the company was actually making money on me, not losing it…
…fast forward to 2010.
During World AIDS Week in December, my busiest time of the year, I was late with my monthly payment by a few days. The payment was made, then a couple of weeks later when Gwenn went to pick up my HIV medications, the pharmacy informed her that I wasn’t covered. We called, and Anthem said reapplying was easy. We filled out all the info online, and then…
I was denied.
I was told it wasn’t due to HIV- it was because I’d been exposed to hepatitis C in 1994 and had hemophilia. Even though I’ve never had any problems with hep C, and that five years ago my doctor told me I was a non-progressor due to how many years I’d been infected with hepatitis C with no signs of increased liver enzymes or damage. They’d probably had me on a shortlist of chumps to be dumped, and jumped at their first chance to get rid of me.
So now I’m uninsured. I should probably be scared, but I’m not. On a spiritual level, I feel relieved to no longer be associated with corporate thieves. Sure, they covered me well when I was in a jam, and didn’t screw me over except for the fact that they didn’t honor the “covered for life” portion of my father’s policy and financially raped my beloved commonwealth of Virginia each month in my name.
But hey, sometimes those facts slip through the cracks. Sometimes ethics slip through. And people, too.
Just like me.
Positively Yours,
Shawn
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Belgian Gay Couple Waiting For Son
February 17, 2011
UPDATE from Roel regarding blog post below: *** GREAT NEWS TODAY! *** Press release from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Belgium (February 18th 2011) Following the recent ruling by the Court in Brussels on Samuel Ghilain – who currently resides in Ukraine – Foreign Affairs will comply with the court order to deliver a passport to the child. it seems the battle for Laurent and Peter to get their son home is finally at it’s end! -roel
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Found out about this heart-wrenching story thanks to a reader of this blog, Roel. Watch the video, and sign the petition to help rectify this miscarriage of justice. – STD
“Belgian gay couple Peter and Laurent have a son, Samuel -age 2 1/2- who is trapped in an Ukranian orphanage. Laurent is Samuel’s biological father. The little boy was conceived through insemination with a Ukranian surrogate mother. “Because adoption in Belgium is so hard for gay couples, we chose a surrogate mother in Ukraine, where it’s legal,” says the couple.
But because Belgium has no law considering surrogate mothers, the two dads are unable to bring their own child home.
People do not choose to be gay, should they therefore ignore their deep desires to marry, have their own children, create their own family?!
Let’s hope this finds a solution, and fast!
So that Samuel can get home to his loving family!”
-Roel
Watch the video. It’s 10 minutes long, but can you imagine waiting two years to have your child returned to you? This story is yet another reason why we have to fight homophobia. People in positions of power will use it as long as we allow it as a society.
Positively Yours,
Shawn
Watch, Friend and Follow me on:
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Website: ShawnandGwenn.com
Also check out the lovely Gwenn’s Fashion/Coffee Blog
My CD, Synthetic Division, A Symptom of Life, is on iTunes!
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March Issue of Poz… and April is STD Awareness Month
February 16, 2011
The new issue of Poz Magazine is out and the new Speaker of the House, John Boehner, is the cover boy. Click on his face to read about why Ohio is important in the fight for the continued funding of ADAP, and why it’s so worrisome that a man who is quick to cry is reticent to shed tears for the HIV/AIDS community when it comes to cutting services for them.
This week is AIDSWatch in DC, when advocates meet with their representatives to discuss the issues that affect the community. I was just called out on Facebook for not being there- I do live two hours away, I really should be there. But politics on a certain level scares me… in that arena, I don’t feel like I can make any progress. I’m being told by some that they don’t feel that is the case, and I appreciate that people think this of me.
Up until now, my role in this big battle against HIV/AIDS, homophobia, ignorance and all of the forces that conspire to keep infections on the rise and the spirits of those living with HIV low… my role in this has been to make people feel better- to humanize this. Coming out of the gate at age 20, I had an idea of how I could help, and it was easy to get started because it was a simple concept: be me, but be me and talk about living with HIV. It was so crazy it worked. But in 2011, perhaps it’s time to step out of my comfort zone more… it’s scary, I cling to my comfort, because it’s the source of what makes me tick.
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April is National STD (Sexually Transmitted Disease- but you probably know that if you’re reading this blog) Awareness Month, and me and Gwenn are hoping it’s Get Busy month. I’m not being cheeky, we really want to get busy and do our thing, which is educating about HIV/AIDS and sexual health.
Here’s a video of us doing just that.
Most readers of this blog know I speak at colleges, universities and also at HIV/AIDS conferences and other events. It’s my work with Gwenn in breaking down walls about attitudes regarding sex and HIV/AIDS that I’m most proud of, particularly that people who are already infected with a life-long STD (or STI- Sexually Transmitted Infection, as is the correct acronym) can have healthy relationships. It’s an aspect of sexual health that is overlooked, and I’m happy to do my part as someone living with HIV who is also an educator.
So if you are interested in having me and Gwenn educate, just fill out this form over at ShawnandGwenn.com. Thanks for allowing me this cheap plug- it is my life’s work (along with My Pet Virus, which I hope is out there educating someone right now), and I’m glad I’ve gotten to do it for as long as I have and with such a great partner, in every sense of the word.
OK, I will be back to my regularly scheduled blog topics tomorrow!
Positively Yours,
Shawn
Watch, Friend and Follow me on:
YouTube, Facebook and Twitter
Website: ShawnandGwenn.com
Also check out
the lovely Gwenn’s
Fashion/Coffee Blog
My CD, Synthetic Division, A Symptom of Life, is on iTunes!
SHARE THE BLOG. NOT THE VIRUS.
A Valentine’s Tale by Gwenn
February 15, 2011
I can’t leave you with Tommy Morrison as a valentine from yesterday. But I can share a very nice post that Gwenn wrote on Valentine’s Day, over on her A Latte Style tumblr page. I’m a lucky guy. - STD
when?
February 14, 2011
“Shawn and I have never been big Valentine’s Day celebrators but this year we had some fun, very low key, things planned. I saw a flyer last week at the coffee shop advertising heart shaped scones, delivered by a cherubic bike rider, for a donation to a cause I thought was good. It sounded fun and I emailed them to set up my delivery to the coffee shop where we planned on having our valentine’s day drinks. I had also planned on making fondue for dinner, which is something we like but don’t make often.
This morning I woke up feeling pretty bad. Sore throat, achy body, just blah. I really wanted to go out for a bit so I showered (which helped with all symptoms), and felt ok enough to make it out to see my scones delivered. When we got to the coffee shop we found out they had delivered the scones, with much fanfare, 3 hours earlier. I was bummed. The scones themselves were ok, but we really did this all for the delivery. Oh well. I went home and Shawn went to his Monday night pool league. When he got home he brought me the best fruit plate ever that he had made for me. I was sad that our original plans didn’t work out but so thankful that we celebrate each other every day. I know a fruit plate might not sound romantic but it was the sweetest thing he could have done.” – Gwenn
Watch, Friend and Follow me on:
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Website: ShawnandGwenn.com
Also check out
the lovely Gwenn’s
Fashion/Coffee Blog
My CD, Synthetic Division, A Symptom of Life, is on iTunes!
SHARE THE BLOG. NOT THE VIRUS.
LIFE IN PHOTOS
Shit got whack at da coffee shop today.
One of my #Halo friends is a vicious monster who will attack the moment you turn your back to him. Every Team Slayer match is basically 3 on 5 with him involved. The game should have trials for war crimes as a game mode.
Yesterday the neighbor's cat paid us a visit. His name is Hobbes, and it was our first meeting. He is very friendly.
I know what you all want, and it isn't pasty European Heavyweight champions... it's me drinking iced mochas. Behold.
Speaking About Sexual Health
Since 2000, Shawn and Gwenn have been speaking about sexual health together, sharing their personal story and empowering others to be safe. If you are interested in having them speak at your event, fill out the Contact Us form.
Check out Shawn's music and buy his book, My Pet Virus, which is now available on Kindle!
It will be the funniest book you've ever read about someone having AIDS... guaranteed!