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Morgan Alexander |
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Ambassador Hotel December 1990 |
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| I first saw Andy and Joe in the lobby of the
Ambassador and was immediately drawn to Andy. I would always
visit him when I went to the Ambassador. Like many men with AIDS,
his consciousness developed, he learned about AIDS, tried to
help others and took better care of himself. I encouraged him
to move out of the hotel; it was a freak circus. He finally left
Joe and moved into an apartment with his new lover, Alex who
also suffers from AIDS. Their life has improved greatly even
though they still struggle with the ravages of the disease. Joe
lives in the West Hotel on Eddy Street and suffers from rheumatoid
arthritis. Andy came from a family of 16 children and didn't discover until he was 16 that these were his cousins. For much of his early life, he was a chef and served 5 years in the military. Andy was diagnosed in 1987 with Pneumocystis Pneumonia. In 1989, part of his liver, colon and gall bladder were removed. As of 2004, he is still alive and every year, I get a Christmas card and a phone call. I now consider him an old friend and an intense survivor. |
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