For Steve Bolan, Los Angeles in the 70s was an era roaring with sex, drugs, rock’n’roll — and a newly discovered mysterious disease.
In 1983, after a routine physical, Bolan was diagnosed with HIV and since then has been prescribed 15 different medications, costing an average of $34,000 annually.
The self-described former “disco bunny” said, “I was having a lot of sex in the ’70s. A lot of dangerous sex, unprotected sex, with a lot of people I didn’t know.”
Bolan, 64, the oldest member and AIDS patient of the organization “Being Alive L.A.,” will be at Pierce College this week to speak to students on AIDS awareness and prevention.
He has seen first-hand the effects of the disease, both physical and emotional.
Despite suffering from a heart attack, diabetes and infections, Bolan said, “My biggest scars are psychological.”
Looking back on his experiences, Bolan has realized the importance of awareness, especially for college students that are sexually active.
He describes students as feeling “care-free and invulnerable” and urges people to “get tested, get insured and get out and vote.”
According to Bolan, the next president of the United States will impact health-care for AIDS patients.
Bolan laughed when his doctor said he could potentially live another 25 years.
“If I last another 10 years I’m lucky, I think,” Bolan said.
He said he’s the luckiest AIDS patient and that living with the disease and that it has made him a “more caring, less selfish person. Thoughtful and more empathetic,” Bolan said.
It seems that Bolan’s sole regret was never feeling comfortable confiding in his parents his homosexuality and diagnosis of AIDS.
“If you’re human, you can get it (AIDS). There is no safe sex, only safer sex,” Bolan said.
Steve Bolan, AIDS patient, talks about his $34,000-a-year’s worth of medications that help him live longer. He delivers a speech about his experience to the Roundup senior staff in the newsroom Monday. ()