Hector was working hard in class to please his immigrant parents when the 17-year-old was struck down with a fever.
Unable to keep food or liquids down, he spent two weeks on the couch of his family home in the Bronx. It took several doctors and numerous tests before blood work indicated he had HIV. His viral load had soared to near-fatal levels.
Exhausted, lying in a hospital bed, he simultaneously had to confront his diagnosis and the question of whether to tell his parents he was gay and sexually active. Read More