Day #5 of ASB NYC - Dr. David Ho and TCC Birthday Bash!

 

Today started off with another amazing special event. As if it wasn't enough to spend last night at a taping of 106 & Park, this morning we had the incredible opportunity to meet with Dr. David Ho, the scientific director and chief executive officer of the Aaron Diamond AIDS Research Center. With 20 years of HIV/AIDS research under his belt, 400 publications, and countless other awards and honors, Dr. Ho is one of the most influential and accomplished scientists of our time. Needless to say, we were all pretty excited to get an hour of his time.

After a quick trip to downtown Manhattan (as opposed to our usual destination on 103rd street), we arrived at the center and were seated around a long conference room table. Most of the walls in the room were lined with bookshelves that housed volumes of scientific encyclopedias and magazine holders carrying the latest issues of JAMA and the New England Journal of Medicine. As soon as Dr. Ho arrived, I immediately noticed his warm and humble demeanor. He welcomed us to the center and gave us an overview of its origin in the late 1980's as well as the contributions the center has made to AIDS treatment and prevention. After that, he opened the floor for questions, and boy did we have a lot to ask. Our questions ranged from the story of his own career path to the technical aspects of his research to his views on policy matters to advice for aspiring doctors and scientists. Dr. Ho answered every one of our questions honestly and thoughtfully. It was truly inspiring to hear Dr. Ho's insight, particularly his advice to aspiring scientists.

Following our session, we were able to take a brief tour of the rest of the facilities. We got to see incredible (and super expensive) equipment at work, as well as learn their role in the research process. Unfortunately, we didn't get to spend much time looking around the lab, but it was a great experience nonetheless.

By that time, it was nearing noon and we needed to get to TCC. When we arrived, we ate lunch and were immediately put to work setting up for that afternoon's big event. At TCC, the staff throws a huge party every month to celebrate all of the residents who had a birthday that month, complete with drinks, ice cream, cake, and music. At first it struck me as sort of odd that the staff would spend so much time and effort just to throw a huge party every single month, but as we set up the party room, it dawned on me that the people at TCC view birthdays differently than a lot of us probably do. Most people might take their birthday for granted, blowing it off as "just another day" that's going to come around again next year. But for the residents at TCC, there might not be a next year. Every birthday deserves a huge celebration, because making it through a year of life is definitely not easy.

Once we had set up the party room, we started bringing down residents. For most of them, the party seemed to be the highlight of their week, if not month, and expressed how excited they were... mostly for a piece of cake. With the stereo blasting some classic tunes, the party was live from the beginning. It was great to see the residents interacting with one another, laughing, dancing, and singing along to the music. I myself couldn't resist joining in when "Respect" came on.

After the cake had been served, I met up with one of my favorite residents, who showed me a binder full of his own original poems. He had mentioned that he was a writer when we first met, but I had no idea that it was a serious career. After reading a few of his pieces, I was struck by how raw and moving his words were. Most of the poems revolved around the emotional themes of culture, identity, and spirituality. I told him that he should seriously consider getting his work published, to which he replied, "Oh, I already am negotiating with a publisher. We still have to work some things out, which can be hard to do when you're in a place like this." When he told me that, I felt a strange sense of pride. It really was a testament to his passion and his talent that he was still able to create and strive to get his art out into the world despite having one of the most debilitating diseases you can have.

By that point, a few other participants had come by to marvel at this resident's poetry. After reading something so emotionally charged, we needed something to uplift us, so we decided to play Spades! (which I've come to learn is a very addicting card game) The game became pretty intense, and despite our trip leaders telling us we needed to go, we ended up playing to the very last minute. My partner and I ended up winning, so in the end it was all worth it; a perfect end to a pretty darn perfect day. :)

~Babette Newman