Dab Garner 3

Up Close & Personal with Dab

My name is Dab Garner and I was one of the first Americans to be diagnosed with HIV when it was called GRID (Gay Related Immune Deficiency). I was diagnosed on 2/14/82 with PCP and GRID which makes me a long term survivor of HIV and AIDS. I am now a 30 year survivor/activist/speaker/blogger and creator of Dab the AIDS Bear.

After being diagnosed while in quarantine at San Francisco General Hospital, I was told I would not live to see my 20th birthday which was only six weeks away. I had already lost my first partner and best friends to complications from GRID. They were the reason I started giving teddy bears to those in quarantine starting in 1981. It broke my heart to have to watch friends and my partner die without being able to hold them so I gave them teddy bears to let them know someone cared, loved them and was thinking about them. The bears eventually were given the name Dab the AIDS Bears in 1985.

After I was released from quarantine, I became an activist because no one was talking about GRID. Over the years, I helped other people with HIV set up the first AIDS services organizations, ACT Up and other services. In the late 80s, I was one of the activists to testify at Congress and work with Senator Kennedy to get funding for people with HIV/AIDS which ended up being called Ryan White funding.

During the 80s and 90s, I participated in clinical trial studies, continued my activism work, started speaking around the country and was god-father to one of the first children born with HIV in San Francisco. In 1985, her mother had died shortly after childbirth and they did not know who the father was. Candace was also born deformed because of Alcohol Fetal Syndrome. As you can imagine, no one wanted a child with HIV in the mid 80s much less a deformed child with HIV. So my second partner (who was also positive) and I took her home to take care of her and let her know she was loved. Unfortunately, she died from complications due to AIDS in 1989. My partner died a few weeks later. In Candace's memory, I started doing Christmas parties for kids with HIV and AIDS which eventually were called Teddy Bear Touchdowns. This year is the 22nd anniversary of the Teddy Bear Touchdowns with the event now being world wide in 12 countries.

I started Dab the AIDS Bear Project in 2003 because of ADAP waiting lists starting in the United States and someone I knew died in Kentucky on their ADAP waiting list. Having lost over 10,000 friends before life saving anti-HIV meds became available in 1996, it upset and enraged me that any Americans was denied access to life saving anti-HIV meds.

The adventures of Dab the AIDS Bear and myself have been covered by many publications, television shows and multi-media over the past 30 years including POZ Magazine, A & U magazine, Soap Opera Digest, AARP Magazine, POZIAM Radio, Who's Positive Radio, USA Today, 60 Minutes, CNN Headline News, CNN Newsroom, The Body, HIV Plus Magazine, The Miami Herald, The LA Times and many others. We are at over 100 events a year including AIDS Walks, Rides, Conferences, LGBT Prides, health fairs and other events.

I am participating in Real Stories, Real People because as a long term survivor of HIV/AIDS and activist for our community, I would like to help end stigma, inspire those who are infected with HIV and continue my HIV/AIDS awareness, education and prevention to those who are not infected. For more information on Dab the AIDS Bear Project, I invite you to visit: http://www.dabtheaidsbearproject.com.

Big Bear Hug,

Daddy Dab

A Day in the Life of My Body

World AIDS Day, observed December 1 each year, is dedicated to raising awareness of the AIDS pandemic caused by the spread of HIV infection. It is common to hold memorials to honor persons who have died from HIV/AIDS on this day. This year, Dab the AIDS Bear and I were honored to be asked to speak at the World AIDS Day event in my hometown of Pensacola, Florida. The day before we spoke at an event at the University of West Florida.

World AIDS Day was first conceived in August 1987 by James W. Bunn and Thomas Netter, two public information officers for the Global Programme on AIDS at the World Health Organization in Geneva, Switzerland. Bunn and Netter took their idea to Dr. Jonathan Mann, Director of the Global Programme on AIDS (now known as UNAIDS). Dr. Mann liked the concept, approved it, and agreed with the recommendation that the first observance of World AIDS Day should be 1 December, 1988.

Why is World AIDS Day so important? More than 1.2 million people are currently living with HIV in the United States and globally an estimated 33.3 million people have HIV. More than 25 million people between 1981 and 2007 have died from the virus, making it one of the most destructive pandemics in history.

Despite recent, improved access to antiretroviral treatment and care in many regions of the world, the AIDS epidemic claimed an estimated 2 million lives in 2007, of which about 270,000 were children. Dab the AIDS Bear and I have known over 10,000 of those who have lost their lives to AIDS including two partners and our god-daughter, Candace. So the day is one of remembering those who are gone and being glad we are still here after 30 years of living with HIV and AIDS.

Today, many scientific advances have been made in HIV treatment, there are laws to protect people living with HIV and we understand so much more about the condition. But despite this, people do not know the facts about how to protect themselves and others from HIV, and stigma and discrimination remain a reality for many people living with HIV. World AIDS Day is important as it reminds the public and Government that HIV has not gone away – there is still a vital need to raise money, increase awareness, fight prejudice and improve education.

What did you do on World AIDS Day? World AIDS Day is also the perfect time to talk about the waiting lists for AIDS Drug Assistance Programs in our country and the need for more funding for ADAP and other Ryan White programs. So contact your elected officials today and help people living with HIV and AIDS to be able to live their lives with access to life saving medications and other services.

World AIDS Day is an opportunity for you to learn the facts about HIV and put your knowledge into action. If you understand how HIV is transmitted, how it can be prevented, and the reality of living with HIV today - you can use this knowledge to take care of your own health and the health of others, and ensure you treat everyone living with HIV fairly, and with respect and understanding.

You can also show your support for people living with HIV on World AIDS Day by wearing a red ribbon, the international symbol of HIV awareness. You can treat someone you know is living with HIV to lunch or dinner. Maybe ask them if they need help running errands or other need. What is important is letting them know you are there for them.

Hope all of you have a safe and great holiday season!

Big Bear Hug,

Daddy Dab