Joey DiPaolo (born September 5, 1979) is an American

AIDS Human immunodeficiency virus infection and acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (HIV/AIDS) is a spectrum of conditions caused by infection with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), a retrovirus. Following initial infection an individual m ...

activist who is

HIV positive The human immunodeficiency viruses (HIV) are two species of '' Lentivirus'' (a subgroup of retrovirus) that infect humans. Over time, they cause acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS), a condition in which progressive failure of the immu ...

. DiPaolo contracted

HIV The human immunodeficiency viruses (HIV) are two species of ''Lentivirus'' (a subgroup of retrovirus) that infect humans. Over time, they cause acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS), a condition in which progressive failure of the immune ...

during a

heart The heart is a muscular organ in most animals. This organ pumps blood through the blood vessels of the circulatory system. The pumped blood carries oxygen and nutrients to the body, while carrying metabolic waste such as carbon dioxide t ...

surgery Surgery ''cheirourgikē'' (composed of χείρ, "hand", and ἔργον, "work"), via la, chirurgiae, meaning "hand work". is a medical specialty that uses operative manual and instrumental techniques on a person to investigate or treat a pat ...

in 1984. He required a

blood transfusion Blood transfusion is the process of transferring blood products into a person's circulation intravenously. Transfusions are used for various medical conditions to replace lost components of the blood. Early transfusions used whole blood, but mo ...

, and the blood given to him came from an HIV-infected donor. DiPaolo had been diagnosed with a heart disease,

atrial septal defect Atrial septal defect (ASD) is a congenital heart defect in which blood flows between the atria (upper chambers) of the heart. Some flow is a normal condition both pre-birth and immediately post-birth via the foramen ovale; however, when this d ...

, and surgery was needed to save his life. From 1985 to 1988, DiPaolo went through several episodes of sickness although none heart-related. In 1988, DiPaolo was diagnosed with HIV. At the time, doctors gave him one year to live and told his family that it would be best for them to hide his condition. Instead, DiPaolo became very active in school and, with the help of medicines, saw his health improve in 1989 to the point that he was able to live a typical life. In early 1990, DiPaolo became so ill early during that year that doctors gave him only two days to live. He recovered and was able to attend an AIDS funds gala where he met

NFL The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league that consists of 32 teams, divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The NFL is one of the major ...

football player

Lawrence Taylor Lawrence Julius Taylor (born February 4, 1959), nicknamed "L.T.", is an American former professional football player who spent his entire career as an outside linebacker for the New York Giants ( 1981–1993) in the National Football League (NF ...

. Taylor

autograph An autograph is a person's own handwriting or signature. The word ''autograph'' comes from Ancient Greek (, ''autós'', "self" and , ''gráphō'', "write"), and can mean more specifically: Gove, Philip B. (ed.), 1981. ''Webster's Third New Inter ...

ed a ball for DiPaolo, the two had a photo taken together, and DiPaolo disclosed that he was HIV positive. The next day, DiPaolo's disclosure was published in local newspapers. Schoolmates' parents threatened to withdraw their children, family friends began avoiding the DiPaolos, and crowds began appearing to protest at his school. A legal battle ensued between the family and parents of children of the school that DiPaolo went to. Eventually, a New York court decided that DiPaolo would stay in the educational center he attended. In 1992,

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aired the '' Lifestories: Families in Crisis'' special "Blood Brothers: The Joey DiPaolo Story". DiPaolo won a lawsuit against the center from which the blood with which he was contaminated came. DiPaolo is an AIDS activist. In 2000 he founded Camp TLC, Together Living a Challenge, for children who cannot attend regular summer camps because of AIDS. He resides in Staten Island, with his wife Lauren and daughters Joey Jayde and Vivy Rey, and operates DiPaolo's Barber Shop in Tottenville.

References

External links

* website is no longer activ
Joey DiPaolo AIDS Foundation

''Lifestories: Families in Crisis'': "Blood Brothers: The Joey DiPaolo Story" (1992)
at

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Dipaolo, Joey 1979 births HIV/AIDS activists People with HIV/AIDS Living people