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Chapel Hill-based personal trainer
Rob Hill is one of eight HIV-positive patients participating in an ongoing
study at the University of North Carolina testing the use of a lymphoma drug to
lure the virus out of hiding. The study’s first phase was a success; the second
phase starts in August.
Hill is known by clients for his
athleticism and discipline. Until recently, what most did not know was his
personal struggle with heroin addiction and his HIV diagnosis. The path that
Hill took to get off drugs and out of an unhealthy lifestyle also isolated him.
He worried about what others would think if they knew.
Hill is sharing his story now as a
way to help others in a similar situation, and to dispel the fears some may
have about people with HIV. He hopes that by opening up, he can live like a
“regular human being.”
Laurel Gropper, a Chapel Hill
optometrist, and her husband, Carl Stice, are clients of Hill’s. They were
among the first he told about his HIV infection. “I thought, ‘Oh my gosh, how
strong a person to be able to live with this, to live with this kind of secret
and endure the fear of what could be going on for him and his body [and decide]
he was going to make a change,’” said Gropper. “I don’t know too many people
that would have that much courage on all levels.”
The Friends of AIDS Foundation is
dedicated to enhancing the quality of life for HIV positive individuals and
empowering people to make healthy choices to prevent the spread of the HIV
virus. To learn more about The Friends of AIDS Foundation, please visit: http://www.friendsofaids.org.
TOGETHER WE REMAIN STRONG!
