December 1 is World AIDS Day, I stumbled upon this site through a friend, and felt compelled to share a story/memory about someone very special who changed my life.
When I was in Rehab and at my absolute end I had no-one. My family had made it very clear that they wanted nothing to do with me because of my sexuality, my depression and drug use had gotten out of control, and I was going to die, either by an overdose or suicide (after all there had already been so many close calls my luck it seemed would soon run out). On the day that i arrived I was greeted by a woman whose name was Robin. She was in her 40's, and seeing how much younger i was than everyone else took me under her wing, because she knew how twisted some people could sometimes become (being locked inside a house for months on end and coming off of some serious drugs will do that to a person). She helped me in so many ways. She taught me how to forgive, how to love, and most importantly how to find hope in my darkest hours. If it hadn't been for Robin I would have never stopped using and most likely would be buried 6 feet under ground. There were so many times my bags were packed and I was ready to run or my heart was breaking and I just wanted to die, but she was always there, waiting for me by the door with her loving words and healing embrace. Robin was a woman who'd been abused, raped, became a prostitute, a heroin addict, and was then fighting AIDS, she had no one. Her Family had abandoned her and society had disgraced casting her aside to suffer alone, she went through things none of us could ever imagine, even in our darkest most horrific thoughts, but she had more love to give than anyone I've ever met.
After I left the program I frequently would stop by to visit, and catch a meeting. one of those times about two Years ago I stopped by to bring Robin some flowers and a pack of Marlboro Reds (her favorite). Upon walking through the door the attendants informed me she had lost her battle with AIDS. It's hard to even write this with out a few tears, but somewhere out there I know that I have an angel watching over me, and her name is Robin.
