HOW WALKERS MAKE A DIFFERENCE: HUGO'S STORY

• Year 2 with the Walk (started in 2009)
• 2010 goal: $1,000
• Total raised in 2009: $1,520

What motivates you to walk?

The Walk is very close to my heart. I was diagnosed with HIV in May 2009 and was devastated to say the least. Imagine just starting a healthy long term relationship and getting notified you are HIV-positive. My life flashed before my eyes and I was scared to lose everything near and dear to me. As I learned more and found support from loved ones in my life, my fears turned to hope for myself and others. Being newly diagnosed, I was grateful for the amount of support ACT offers. I walk for myself and all my friends who are living with HIV, hoping also that one day there will be a cure. I would also love to find out how to become a volunteer and help ACT make a difference.

What are your fundraising scoops and secrets?

I use social networking and email to tell friends and family about the Walk. They help me to reach my fundraising goal and beyond!

Anything you'd like to add?

I used to think that living with HIV was a death sentence riddled with a negative public stigma. I have realized that living with HIV is not a death sentence, but a fight requiring hope to live every day to its fullest. Quite recently, my HIV-negative partner and I got married. With the help and love of my closest friends, I am able to surround myself with positivity and live a long happy life.