HIV Activists Reggie & Dionne Smith celebrate 25 years of sero-discordant marriage at U.S.C.A

Sept. 4, 2010 - PRLog -- HIV treatment has come a long way in the past 25 years. Today, with the proper therapy and positive lifestyles, people with HIV can live long, healthy lives even in sero-discordant relationships.

Sunday, September 12, 2010 from 12 Noon – 2 PM , held during United States Conference on AIDS 2010 in the Hilton Orlando Bonnet Creek Ballroom, Orlando, Florida, HIV activist and long time survivor, Reggie Smith, will be a part of a panel discussion entitled "Dialogues in HIV: Can We Talk?"  Mr. Smith, along with his loving and devoted wife Dionne, have been gaining national recognition for their heartwarming story of love, faith, courage and discipline in the face of life with HIV.

Reggie is part of a prestigious panel that includes the renowned Dr. Luther A. Virgil,  MD, who will discuss the latest guidelines and implications for therapy, and Lisa M. Henry-Reid, MD, who will share her expertise regarding HIV/AIDS in youth populations.  Mr. Smith will talk about how to live well with HIV, as well as how he and his wife have managed to stay together and be blessed with wellness.

It has not been an easy ride for the Smith couple or their family.  They, like millions of people, have had to deal with major spiritual, mental and physical challenges that this disease creates as a result of the trauma of diagnosis.  It has been the emotional challenges of stigma and fear that has caused them the most pain over the past quarter century together.  It is their unique experience and understanding of how to overcome those enemies of wellness that has motivated them to spearhead a campaign focused on how to "identify and solve the unmet needs of the families affected by HIV".

Dionne is a woman who has chosen to stay with her husband and love him through what was once considered a death sentence for the infected.  Reggie was diagnosed with AIDS in 1988, and probably contracted the virus in 1984 before he got clean from a heroin addiction. Dionne faced the chance of contracting the virus herself, but the couple attributes the grace of God, and "religious" use of male and female condoms.  

Beside being honored to have a platform to share at the USCA 2010, the handsome couple celebrates their 25th year together with the launching of a national campaign sponsored by The Kaiser Foundation and the Black AIDS Institute called "Deciding Moments".  Reggie and Dionne say that their "Deciding Moment" is when they were freed from the stigma and fear of HIV.  They are intent on sharing their freedom with the world in the hopes that many others will be as blessed as they have been.  Mr. Smith often quotes Harriet Tubman saying "I may have freed hundreds of slaves, but I could have freed thousands more had they only known they were slaves".  

The mission of the United States Conference on AIDS is to increase the strength and diversity of the community-based response to the AIDS epidemic through education, training, new partnerships, collaboration and networking. It is the largest AIDS-related gathering in the U.S., bringing together over 3,000 workers from all fronts of the HIV/AIDS epidemic—from case managers and physicians, to public health workers and advocates, to people living with HIV/AIDS (PLWH/As) and policymakers—to build national support networks, exchange the latest information and learn cutting-edge tools to address the challenges of HIV/AIDS. We hope you will be one of them.

For more information, visit USCA online: www.2010USCA.org, or on Twitter: www.twitter.com/NMACCommunity or Facebook: tinyurl.com/NMAConFB.


To participate in this FREE symposium live or via internet, please register at www.youthHIV.net or by calling 732-256-4470






Unfortunately, adolescent and young adults (ages 15-24) are making a significant and increasing contribution to the number of newly infected persons with HIV in the United States and worldwide. Youth populations engage in risk-taking behaviors, but do not always clearly comprehend that HIV acquisition may result from these behaviors. Providing effective care and treatment for adolescents poses unique challenges that healthcare providers and communities must overcome and find effective ways to support these young people to transition into adulthood. The task is not only to prevent and treat disease but to encourage youth to stay strong, healthy, positive and hopeful for the future.

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Sharing our strength, hope and experiences in order to promote Wellness, Awareness and Recovery (W.A.R).