Event recognizes AIDS victims

The room was silent as the list of names of local deceased HIV/AIDS victims was read.

Community members and volunteers gathered at the Fountain Square Ballroom Thursday for a celebration and remembrance in honor of World AIDS Day, which is celebrated Saturday.

Nashville, Ind., resident Robert Brinkley barely missed the list of names this year. He has been HIV-positive for 32 years and has been placed on life support three times, most recently in February.

He feeds himself through a tube and experiences frequent seizures from years of chemotherapy.

“My doctor says no one in the U.S. has lived this long with AIDS,” Brinkley said. “For some reason, God got a purpose for me. There could be a cure in my body that’s keeping me alive.”

Brinkley said the virus is now undetectable in his body.

Positive Link, a nonprofit organization that works through IU Health Bloomington Hospital,, is the regional HIV/AIDS support organization that provides prevention and social services for those impacted by the virus in southeast Indiana, Health Educator Meredith Short said. 

Positive Link provided Brinkley with counseling, therapy and financial help. They helped him recover from a drug addiction and even paid for a plane ticket when his mother died. Most importantly, it provided him with a companion, Bloomington resident Barb Muncy.

At the World AIDS Day ceremony, Muncy was awarded with the Celia Busch “Making a Difference” award for her work through Positive Link, and especially for her dedicated relationship with Brinkley.

“I was all strung out on meth at the time and Positive Link didn’t know what to do with me,” Brinkley said.

Positive Link connected Muncy with Brinkley and they began speaking on the phone about once a week. Now, Brinkley calls Muncy three times per day, Muncy said. She accompanies Brinkley to his doctor’s appointments, goes to all of his therapy sessions, brings his medicine to his home and even takes care of his dog when he leaves town.

“She’s been like a golden angel sitting on my shoulder all the time,” he said.

Muncy choked up while accepting her award and said she was overwhelmed by the recognition. 

“It’s really been an honor and a privilege to work with him,” Muncy said. “He is special.”

This is the 19th year the World AIDS Day event has taken place. This year’s theme was “Getting to Zero,” referring to reaching a level of zero new infections. It was organized  by the Community Action Group of South Central Indiana, which represents several HIV/AIDS support groups, including Positive Link.

The ceremony included several musical performances, including appearances by IU musical theatre students and IU a capella group Ladies First.

The event’s emotional climax was a remembrance ceremony. One by one, members of the audience went to the front of the room to light a candle in honor of a loved one who has died of the infection, a few individuals saying names into a microphone.

“It’s very powerful to see so many people from the community celebrating how far we’ve come and remembering those who have lost their lives,” Positive Link Care Coordinator Tammy Baynes said.

In addition to social support, Positive Link provides financial assistance to local HIV victims, often paying for medical insurance, housing, transportation and food.

During the holiday months, Positive Link organizes a gift drive, called Gifts of Grace, that collects wish lists from clients and invites community members to “adopt” someone affected with HIV. There will be 233 clients who will be receiving gifts this year, Short said.

As of June 2012, there were 221 known cases of HIV in Monroe County, Short said.
Eighty percent of Positive Link’s clients live on or below Indiana’s poverty level, according to a statement made by Positive Link in a press release.

“It can severely impact people’s ability to work,” Positive Link Prevention Coordinator and CAG Chair Emily Brinegar said. “It’s a difficult cycle. Living on social security, you don’t have a lot of money. Medical costs can be dangerous.”

Short said there are still cases in which employers will lay off HIV positive workers if they find out about their diagnosis.

“There’s still a stigma with HIV, unfortunately,” Short said. “There’s a lot of fear based on lack of education.”

Positive Link aims to increase awareness about the risks and continue to support its clients to meet their basic needs.

Brinkley said Positive Link has completely changed his life.

“They held my hand when I couldn’t hang on no more,” Brinkley said. “They held on for me.”