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| With my goofy bro somewhere in Germany |
If you check into this blog on a regular basis, you might be thinking, "Wow, she really writes about dead people a lot. Why doesn't she just do some intensive grief counseling and be done with it?" Fair warning: The following is another blog about a dead person.
Also if you have been checking in, you will know that my brother/best friend died of complications from AIDS nine years ago. He was 38. If I have anything to say or do about it, those two sentences will NOT sum up his entire existence.
Time really does heal wounds. When I think back on my little bro I am now able smile at the thought of how cool he was without so much of the sadness. At Christmastime, when you flipped the light switch to his bedroom the place became orchestrated with colored lights, Christmas kitsch, and the local radio station playing all-holiday music. To the lyric "Let your hearts be gay," he would say with a smirk, "NOT what you think!" Precious moments, but my problem - and probably the reason I write so much about dead people - is that memories like these are starting to fade. I have a million of them, but unfortunately, the same phenomenon that causes me to walk to the mailroom at my office and forget why I had come there in the first place is beginning to delete them from my brain's internal hard drive. So I guess I write about this dead guy a lot in a lame attempt to keep his memory alive. He was, and is, so much a part of me.
Once again this year we are doing the AIDS Walk in San Francisco (July 15). Our team is named "The Fans of Tim Elbourne," in his memory. Most of the team members didn't even know my brother, but they are united in the cause and have agreed to stand (or walk) with me, and for this I am grateful. Our team will wear custom T-shirts with my brother's picture on the back. Timmie lived in San Fran and had many friends there. It is my prayer that someone from the walk that day will notice his picture and share a memory or two. I need all the Tim Elbourne stories I can get.
It is also my prayer that someday soon no one will have to lose their brother, friend, coworker, etc. to this dreadful disease because the disease will no longer exist. It is, unfortunately, our family charity of choice. Our team raised over $1,000 last year and we hope to at least match this amount this time around. It'd be most awesome if you threw us a few dollars toward the cause. You may do so by following this link:
AIDS WALK SF: THE FANS OF TIM ELBOURNE
If you would like to walk with us, I can assure you it'll be a life changing experience! You can do so by clicking on "My Team Page" through the above link. The more the merrier and everyone is welcome!
And if you have already donated, I thank you from the bottom of my heart!
Even though there has been success with drug treatments that are prolonging some people's lives, they don't work for everyone. These treatments can also take their toll physically, and for many cause awful side-effects. I am also concerned that so many young people in San Francisco are getting infected. And above all, there is still no cure in sight.
