I learned that when Bob was first diagnosed with AIDS, he thought he only had a few months to live. I can't even imagine what it would feel like to be told or know that. His doctor said he had one to two months to live. Thats a very short amount of time considering what he thought he had left. He has now lived much longer than that, but he spends most of his time trying to stay healthy and survive. Most of us try to stay healthy throught out life as well, but the consequence of him not staying healthy is death at an early age. He takes many pills everyday to help stay healthy. These pills don't neccesarily make him feel the best. Many of them have side effects. He mentioned that a person diagnosed with AIDS has to decide whether to live with these side affects or choose not to take the medicine. Even today, you have to live with the stigma of having AIDS. Bob also has to deal with the fact of using a condom everytime during intercourse even though he only has one partner because he doesnt want to catch another strand of AIDS. Also, he doesn't want to give his partner another strand.

Bob's experience is different than many other people around the globe because he is getting treatment. Africa has the highest infection rate and many of them aren't getting help. He knows his life expectancy is longer than people who contract it in Africa. Also, he put himself at risk by choice. The activities he took part in were unhealthy and I think he had some knowledge about the consequences. Many people around the world don't have as much knowledge as people in the United States. Bob travels and talks to people about his story and his life, which mentally can help with coping with the disease. Many others just simply have to deal with it.

Bob indicated that HIV is transmitted in rural regions through heterosexual transmission. In smaller, rural areas, there is more of a stigma with AIDS/HIV and people tend not to pay attention to it. Their education is limited because it's not really not talked about. People in rural regions think it won't happen to them because they only think of the stereo types such as gay sex causes AIDS. It's makes it difficult to treat it because the doctors in those regions dont really diagnose it because they don't think the people of that area can contract it either. Most people don't ask for an HIV test.