It is not easy surviving with AIDS and I am very grateful that I have been blessed to be alive. I am glad that you have found your way to this page. Your contribution would be appreciated. It is quite an adjustment to prepare to die in June of 2004 after I was diagnosed with AIDS and given 6 months to live. Then after the 6 months passed and I didn't die I was then told by the administration of the hospice and my doctor that I was now to healthy to live there. The hospice administration told me that they were not set up to have people live there on a long term basis unless they needed 24hr care. I watched 40 die in this past year in the hospice and saw only 4 walk out alive. I am one of them. The financial adjustments of trying to start over again have increased my monthly costs over $500 per month. I had to give up $179 per month from Social Security SSI since I am no longer in a board and care facility and am no longer eligible for that subsidy. I also am now paying $702 for the low income housing that I have found. That is up about $150 above the $557 that I paid for rent to live in the hospice. And if that is not enough I also have to now pay for food, phone, cable, PG&E and this web site. The creditors that I owe have one by one filed claims and got judgments against me. I can't pay them and even though they can not take my $832 per month from Social Security Disability and SSI money I still feel bad that I can't pay them. It is a real challenge just to survive. I am doing the best I can. Thank you to the people who have given me money and support so far. I am currently unemployed. Most days I don't have enough energy and focus of concentration to last more than a couple of hours before I am tired and have to lay down and take a nap. I also have no income and no assets. When I was told I had 6 months to live I liquidated my apartment, my company, my IRA, and all of my assets so that I would not be a burden to my friends and surviving family. Since then I have been given a new prognosis by my doctor in June of 2005 of "a tenuous amount of time" to live. Wow!! What an adjustment. Then just when I am preparing to live new stuff. I had an X-ray in July 2005 that led to a cat scan then a needle biopsy of my lungs. That was followed by another full biopsy of my lungs. October 30th I was told by my doctor that I had lymphoma of the lungs and that the only treatment was chemotherapy. I told him I was not going to do chemotherapy and I was going to live quality of life days the best I could. I have signed back on with Hospice by the Bay and am back on a 6 month to live prognosis. If you can help in the form of a financial donation I would appreciate it. I am grateful for a chance to be alive enough to make this request for your help. I hope you are receptive enough and willing to help me. If you can please click on the Paypal link below and enter an amount of dollars that you can donate. Follow the directions on the screen and I will get the money. As I continue to tell my story people continue to tell me how lucky I am just to be able to get out of the hospice alive. I tell them "No I am not lucky, I am blessed. GOD is looking after me." Thank you for being part of my story.
Sincerely,
Steve Kay
You can also snail mail me at:
1190 Howard Street #509
San Francisco, CA 94103