Jeremy Johnson's AIDS/LifeCycle Homepage

I'm Riding to End AIDS

The first week of June, I will join 2,500 other cyclists, including the other members of Team Colorado, for the AIDS/LifeCycle (ALC) ride to end AIDS. This will be my third year participating in the ride. All the money I raise will benefit the San Francisco AIDS Foundation (SFAF), and will help them meet the needs of our global community by providing critical services to people infected with HIV/AIDS around the world.

In 2007, I initially decided to participate in this even as a personal challenge for myself. At the time I didn't think I knew anyone who was affected by HIV/AIDS...little did I know! When I started having conversations with people about the challenge I had taken on, I quickly realized that I knew way more people affected by this pandemic than I even knew...co-workers revealed that their sons were HIV+, or fathers had died of AIDS, or they themselves were infected. Several friends also came forward and revealed that they were positive or had a close friend or family member who is.

I decided to ride again last summer for all my friends who I now know are living with HIV. This year, I ride for those same friends, but more importantly, I'm riding to raise awareness. Before, I just wasn't aware of the people in my life who were suffering in silence, just as you may not be aware of the people in YOUR life who are dying from this terrible disease. During my first AIDS ride, I saw someone wearing a T-shirt that said ?We all have AIDS if one of us does? I realize now how true that statement really is.

There is a widespread misconception that HIV/AIDS is no longer a problem -- in fact more people are living with HIV/AIDS today than ever before, which means a much greater need for services. Worldwide, an estimated 2.5 million people will become infected with HIV this year and another 2 million will die of AIDS. In the United States, 1.2 million people currently live with HIV and it is estimated that 25% don?t even know they are positive. Half of all new STD infections (including HIV) occur in individuals 25 years old or younger.

I have chosen to do something about it and you can too. I have chosen to support the SFAF because they have been on the front lines, helping people with HIV/AIDS for the past 27 years and have seen the situation grow from the first few reported cases locally into the worldwide pandemic it is today. The work they do reaches way beyond the San Francisco community. The SFAF is a science and public policy advocate on a national level, and internationally they consult on sustainable HIV/AIDS prevention and treatment strategies in Sub-Saharan Africa, Asia, and Eastern Europe through their Pangea Global AIDS Foundation.

Because of this global reach, the money I raise will go to help provide STD testing and prevention to a young heterosexual couple in the Ukraine, the heart of a region second only to Africa in it's growth of new cases, where 20% of the children are born HIV+. These funds will also help raise awareness and break down social stigmas for someone infected while donating blood in China. It will provide a place to live for a gay teen in San Francisco who has been kicked out by his family. And it will help provide meds for the soccer mom living here in suburban Denver who was infected by a blood transfusion and lost her insurance due to a ?pre-existing condition.?

This year, the largest group of riders from Colorado ever to participate in an ALC event will ride to help all of these people and more. Working together the members of Team Colorado ALC are proving that one person can do much and make a difference, but together we can do more and change the world.

To meet the rest of Team Colorado ALC and find out more about our fundraising efforts and upcoming events, go to: www.teamcolorado.net  

If you prefer to make your donation by check, please click here for a printable donation form.