The Yogi and His Baggage…

Jessica Reinhart
Grassroots Community Manager

After the fourth debate and unknowingly adding fuel to his fire, we decided to agree to disagree – the Yogi and me, that is.

When I say yogi I’m referring to my friend and business partner, Wayde who has been working with me on the drug pricing advocacy campaign since I’ve arrived in New Jersey two months ago. I refer to him as a “yogi” because he is a yoga teacher and strives to practice the principles of yogi-ism in his everyday life.

The drug pricing advocacy campaign is part of a larger national effort to get the pharmaceutical companies to lower the prices of their HIV medications. Currently there is close to 10,000 Americans on AIDS Drug Assistance Program (ADAP) wait lists who cannot access their life-saving medicines. Since three of the major pharmaceutical companies are located here in the Central Jersey area, Wayde and I have been working to build a local coalition of advocates to help hold legal protests outside of the company headquarters. Our targets are Johnson & Johnson, Bristol-Myers Squibb and Merck.

With that said, Wayde made a decision to have his own protest. Until the national ADAP crisis is resolved, he is refusing to take HIV medications.

Being he’s a Jersey boy he is able to get the meds he needs to stay alive. New Jersey does not have a waiting list – at least not yet. An optimist at heart, Wayde believes it is possible by the end of 2012 for all Americans to have access to their HIV medications.

For me, there is always the “what if”…what if the wait list keeps growing and there is no resolution. The fight still needs to continue and I need a healthy fighter by my side. I understand that HIV positive individuals can go without taking their meds for a substantial amount of time and still be well and mobile. But, there are no guarantees, especially when it comes to your health. With very few HIV advocates left as committed as Wayde, we cannot afford to lose him.

In 2011, with all the advancements in HIV care and treatment, in one of the wealthiest countries in the world…why am I even having this conversation with a friend? This is the unfortunate reality we live in and it’s particularly scary when it directly involves people you care about.

While I do not agree with Wayde’s decision to not get on meds* until everyone can access their medications, I do appreciate his compassion and will be there to support him.

*AIDS Healthcare Foundation believes this is a decision best left up to an individual patient & his/her doctor.