I had a pleasantly suprising request early this week. It came in the form of an email. A coordinator for the Aids Action Committee inquired if I would be interested in being the stretch instructor at the opening ceremony for the Aids Walk this year. Always willing to volunteer my time and services for a good cause, I agreed. I quickly learned that this would entail a five minute stretch segment for approximately 15,000 people on the stage of the hatch shell.
In my work as a personal trainer and group fitness instructor, I usually I lead intimate classes of twenty or so people. Today I had the honor to lead thousands of people who were participating in this important event. As I stood before them, and initially called for a moment of silence to honor those who died or are living with aids, I was moved by the diversity of people who had come to walk. This was affirmed, as the website proudly states, “From all walks of life.”
As I did some further browsing on the website, I discovered, “There are approximately 24,000-26,000 people infected with HIV in Massachusetts. It is estimated that one-quarter to one-third of them do not know that they are infected and are not in treatment.” This is an outrage. Every American must do his or her part to stand for equal access to education and health care for all. We must ensure that those who are infected know and receive treatment.
