Reply #52: Richard, the first person I ever knew who died of AIDS [View All]

[Caoimhe]

My neighbor Richard died of AIDS in 1986, quite early on after a three or four year battle with the disease. He was a friend, a trustworthy man who I housesat for and adored his wonderful dog and cat and exotic fish. He knew I was not like the other kids in our hick town. He was treated badly for being semi-openly gay. Everyone knew and avoided him and his boyfriend. He knew I didn't judge him. He paid me well and we spent many hours just talking about life and art and music and animals. He will always live in my heart, that caring person lives on through me and all the lives he touched. I hope someday to meet his son that he talked about all the time. I learned many things from Richard, but perhaps the most important thing was he showed me that this world is full of people with different lifestyles, religious views, sexual orientations, shades of skin, etc...