"Trials" and Triumphs: Life with HIV

by Christian Piatt

If Allen Plaster doesn’t look you in the eye, don’t take it personally.  Retinitis rendered him nearly blind several years ago, affecting his ability to drive, and seriously hindering his efforts to work independently. Allen worked in the hotel business for fifteen years, and then as a bail bondsman for another twelve before retiring early at age fifty-six last November. He lived in a property owned by his brother who, upon also retiring, sold off the home, leaving Allen with no other choice but to move.

Allen’s children were still living with him, but health limitations and no income weighed upon his shoulders. With no job, no home, and people depending on him, Allen felt himself resigning to depression.

“I was tired,” says Allen, “and I was just about ready to give up.” Fortunately, Allen’s doctor had a different attitude about his future. After all he had seen him through, Dr. Stanley Cal refused to let his passion for life diminish.

Allen has been HIV-positive since 1993. At the time of his diagnosis, he says that he was given between six and eighteen months to live. “Basically, I had been told to go home and get my affairs in order, because at that time, that’s about as long as anyone had once they got HIV.”

Fortunately, a clinical trial opened up for three new HIV medications at about the same time, and Allen was accepted as a part of the study. Two of the three medications proved very effective in reducing Allen’s viral load, the count given to determine the concentration of the HIV virus on the bloodstream.

“It saved my life,” says Allen, referring to the clinical trial. “I was able to get my hands on medications that weren’t available to anyone yet.” Because he took part in the study, the pharmaceutical company continued to provide Allen with the medications until they became readily available on the market.

Although the medications extended his life indefinitely, Allen still struggled to maintain his health, and the impact of the loss of house and career caused him to question the merits of continuing to fight. Dr. Cal, who works vigilantly with many of Fort Worth’s HIV patients, challenged Allen to find a reason to keep going. “He said I could either lay down and die, or I could fight. I decided to fight.”

Allen quickly found new life after moving into Samaritan House. He pointed out that the isolation of being at home without daily contact with others was part of what had sapped his desire to keep living. “Here, everyone is so warm and friendly,” he says. “For the period when I was on my own, computers were the only life I had. Now, I have come to life here, and everyone I know sees it.”

With the opening of Samaritan House’s new computer learning center, Allen has begun teaching other residents how to use the computers. His class has six students, which is the largest class to date in the new lab. He teaches computer basics, from turning on a machine to navigating the internet. He hopes to continue with more advanced classes that will give residents skills they could use in a workplace, or to enrich their personal lives. His background in business management has allowed him to take charge of some of the financial responsibilities of the Resident Council, and he is involved with the project that will train residents how to repair hundreds of damaged cane chairs donated by a local museum, to be re-sold for a profit.

Allen hopes to do some traveling in the future, taking the time to re-connect with some friends with whom he has lost touch over the years. The only problem now is finding the time to get away. “I think I’m busier now that before I retired,” he says, smiling, “ but this is a pleasurable kind of busy.”