The event of the season is here!

AIDS Run & Walk Chicago will be Saturday, September 26th at Soldier Field.

PACPI is recruiting a team of 30 members and we need your help to raise more than $10,000 that will benefit programs for women and infants. Lace up your shoes and sign up to walk or run with us!

What:   AIDS Run & Walk Chicago 5K walk, 5K run or 10K run
Where: Soldier Field, 1410 Museum Campus Drive, Chicago
Who:    Team PACPI!
When:  September 26th, 8:00am-11:00am
How:    Go to PACPI’s team page to register using the discount code “30YEARSOFACTION” for $10 off your walk or run registration

Register today to begin fundraising and you’ll be eligible to win great prizes. Gift cards are available for fundraising milestones from Amazon, Target, Starbucks, iTunes, and more!

Are you an HIV positive man who desires to have a baby with an HIV negative woman? OR Are you an HIV negative woman who desires to have a baby with an HIV positive man?

You may be eligible to participate in a research study about use of pre-exposure prophylaxis, PrEP, during conception.

Check out study info and if interested, contact Brianne Condron at [email protected].

Life is full of surprises, some of which can be life changing. January 20, 1995 is the day I found out I was HIV positive. When I was given my results, I thought it must be a mistake. I had stepped into a small clinic for what I thought would be a routine test. The realization of what was happening was almost too much to comprehend. Unfortunately, the clinic did not have any open follow up appointments available. The soonest was two months away.

Pati and Fernandos 20 Years Later

I was sent home that snowy January day with more questions than I knew to begin to ask. About a week later, I came to the realization I couldn’t have children. I say this because, at the time, not only did I think my diagnosis was a death sentence, but I thought bringing a healthy child into the situation was just not possible.

In the meantime while I was waiting for the day of my appointment to arrive, I heard about another clinic which specialized in HIV services. Based on all I had heard and the fact I was able to get in I decided to go there. I received great care and learned more about my diagnosis.

During this time I also received another life changing surprise: I found out I was pregnant. My first phone call however was not to family or friends but to an AIDS hotline to see what information they could provide about being HIV positive and pregnant. At that time they did not have much information on HIV and pregnancy but did share some studies about treatments that increased the chances of having a healthy child from 75% to about 90% (today, treatment and care increase the chance to over 99%). My next phone call was to the clinic where I was being seen to schedule an appointment to find out what the next steps would be.

When I went in for my appointment we discussed that at that time they did not have an in-house OBGYN. However they did have someone who they referred patients to. I went in to see this doctor who confirmed my pregnancy: I was 9 weeks pregnant. Then she also told me she would not be taking me as a patient; she did not want to treat me because of my HIV status. I was embarrassed and disheartened. But she referred me to a hospital. I was scared, anxious and excited about the prospect of a new doctor. I knew I had to keep trying to find someone who could help me.

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Anne Statton (center) with Team to End AIDS this summer. Photo courtesy AIDS Foundation of Chicago.

 by Anne Statton, PACPI Executive Director

This year, for my birthday, I decided to give myself the gift of triathlon. Sounds funny, I know. I really enjoy competing against myself and with my friends and family.

I come from a swimming background. As a kid, I swam and competed in events with my sisters. One of my sisters, Laurie, was recruited to Kenyon College on a swimming scholarship. Another sister, Amy, is a coach of the Evanston Masters team. Sister Kersti continues to swim and encourages her lovely daughters to swim and they often rank high enough to compete in regionals and state championships.

My mother was the first woman referee with Illinois Swimming and when she passed away, TOPS (The Oak Park Swimmers team) put together a memorial swim meet in her honor, the Claire Statton Memorial Invitational. That meet is so popular that it can no longer be held at Oak Park High School and it’s now held at the University of Illinois at Chicago each January. Teams raise money to compete in the meet and the funds help pay swim fees for their own team members who need assistance. In 2009, my nieces swam for the first time in their grandmother’s swim meet and the local paper, the Oak Leaves, wrote an article on them and the family. It’s such a terrific legacy to have a swim meet named after my mother. My sisters and often consider ourselves “Illinois swimming royalty” because of it!

About five years ago, in January 2010, I accepted a challenge to join a group that would train for 12 weeks and complete an indoor triathlon at the end of the training. I felt it would help me to get active again, and as long as swimming was involved, I could do it! I went to almost every single training session. The amazing coaches (Scott Hutmacher and Chris Navin) helped adjust the workouts to my ability – basically I can’t run because my knees can’t take the pounding. The training was HARD.

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