Denford Galloway Living with HIV

Dr Chinelo Animalu, MD, Infectious Disease Specialist had a candid conversation with Mr. Denford Galloway. Mr. Galloway was diagnosed in 2003 with HIV during a routine visit to the doctor. Many people do not know that they have been infected with HIV so it is important to get tested. Mr. Galloway works with the Ryan White Program bringing awareness to young people in the community who are at risk for contracting HIV. Memphis is #2 in the nation for newly diagnosed cases of HIV among our younger population starting at age 14. The conversation took a deep dive into the negative stigma of HIV in the black community which is devastating and many people do not seek help or they keep their positive status a secret and therefore continue the spread of HIV.

@Medical Class 901

Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:00

The Medical Class 901 with Dr. Chi MD, an infectious disease specialist and professor of medicine in Memphis, Tennessee.

SPEAKER_01 0:17

Welcome to Medical Class 901 with Dr. Qi. I am Dr. Chinello, Animallo, infectious disease, and HIV specialist and professor of medicine at University of Tennessee Health Science Center in Memphis. So today is a crazy, crazy day for me. I am so, so, so excited to have someone who I am so honored to get to know, and I am so thankful that he has agreed to, you know, come spend time with us and kind of you know talk to our viewers. So I'm gonna introduce our guest speaker today, Mr. Galloway. Welcome, Mr. Galloway.

SPEAKER_00 1:02

Thank you.

SPEAKER_01 1:03

So let me um let me talk to you guys a little bit about him. So uh Mr. Denford Galloway um is the planning council manager for Ryan White program, which is a program that I'm gonna talk about. We will talk about in a little bit more in details in this show. So he's been living with HIV since December 2003. Wow. And he has um participated in numerous community programs and wellness fairs. He is actively involved with the LGBTQ community, and he's a certified substance abuse counselor and a volunteer mental health teacher for National Alliance of Mental Health. Above all this, he is a US Army veteran. Welcome to the show, Mr. Galloway. I am so honored to have you here with us and um to actually share your story with our viewers and you know with the public. This is something that um we talk about here in this show. We talk about HIV and the effects it does have in our communities, and not just in Memphis. We're talking about other communities here in the United States as well as you know the entire world. So, here, walk me through. Um, you know, you were diagnosed all the way back in 2003. Tell tell me a little bit more about that. What happened? Like, how did you get to that point?

SPEAKER_00 2:32

I got to find out about my HIV diagnosis. Actually, when I was at the doctor's offer to have the surgery, uh, I did not have no idea actually that I was going to be even tested for HIV. I was having the lympho surgery at the time. And actually, when I went to the recovery after surgery, that's when the doctor informed me that I tested parts for HIV, that I uh had HIV virus in my blood. So at that point in time, I kind of more so went into shock. Um my ex-wife at the time was with me, uh, because she with me, went with me for support.

SPEAKER_01 3:15

Wow. So um this is something we've talked about on our show, asymptomatic, being asymptomatic, like people just finding out, you know, by accident. Like, so you went in for walk-up for your surgery, and then you're told, oh, by the way, you tested positive to HIV. I can't even imagine how um shocked, you know, you were. So let so what happened after that? Like, you know, um you had the surgery or was that postponed? Like, what was the aftermath after your diagnosis?

unknown 3:47

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 3:48

Well, actually, I would finish with the surgery and I was in recovery room, and that's when he actually told me that I had HIV. And from there, he actually referred me to a private doctor uh for so I can get into care.

SPEAKER_01 4:01

Following your diagnosis, um, um, when you showed up for your surgery, what next? How, you know, did you follow up with your primary care doctor or with your HIV specialist and was put on medication? Can you walk us through that process?

SPEAKER_00 4:17

Yes, after I found out that I was HIV positive and I went to talk to my private doctor and he prescribed me medications. Uh uh from there, I was looking to get into support groups and find out a way to live life with HIV. So that was the toughest part, wondering what I had to do, or wondering how I was gonna survive living with HIV. Uh, it wasn't far removed from it being a death sentence, so uh that was a big word for me.

SPEAKER_01 4:48

Absolutely. That that's the word because that's something that um, you know, I feel like it's a problem. Uh someone that treats, you know, that cares for uh people with HIV, um, that death sentence, because I feel like, you know, our public these days, especially our younger ones, you know, people kind of feel like it's a death sentence, and you know, we try to tell them that's not what it is. You know, these days HIV is almost like someone with hypertension or diabetes, you know, you take your medications and you're fine. So um I've talked about you know what we call medication non-compliance, where you know, we fight, literally fight with people. We need you to take your medicine. So, how how has that been for you? So we're talking about all the way back in 2003. So you've been taking your medication since then, and tell me how that's been going.

SPEAKER_00 5:40

Well, I think taking my medication has really saved my life. So I'm taking medication. I started off with four pills a day. Uh but now, thank God I'm only at one pill a day. And which is most people that's living with HIV uh does take one pill a day, and that makes it a lot easier than taking four pills a day and not knowing how they're gonna interact with each other.

SPEAKER_01 6:02

Oh, absolutely. Um I think there's been great, great advance in medicine in terms of you remember back in the 80s, right? People had to take like 10 pills, you know, 12, 13 pills every day. And we are now down to one pill for most part. You know, occasionally you can have um people that have what we call resistance strains of um of the infection of HIV, that uh, you know, will have to use more than one medication. But for the most part, uh we get people to just, you know, take one pill a day. Now, let me ask you, you are an African-American man, and um from what I see when you know I interact with you know with patients, something that stands out to me and kills me as you know, as a physician, as a provider, as someone of color is the stigma that's associated with HIV. Have you, what do you think? Like, how did you let your you know, tell inform your family or friends like, because this is, you know, you are so brave. You know, the fact that you're here sharing your stories to be able to help the next person to help, you know, our kids. So um, stigma, stigmatization that comes with, you know, this infection is something that, you know, kind of derailes people from coming, you know, for treatment. Can you tell me a little bit more like your experience with that?

SPEAKER_00 7:29

Well, I've experienced quite a bit of stigma with HIV, and it's out there. And it first starts with internalized stigma, because person like myself who live with HIV and others that live with HIV, they they really feel like, well, hey, people think negative of people living with HIV. That's why you got a lot of people that do not want to come get tested, do not want to go and actually go to these facilities, these agencies that uh treat people living with HIV because they know people, the general public know these places. So no one wants to be stigmatized or label someone living with HIV. Uh it hasn't been easy, but we have to normalize. We have to normalize talking about HIV, because if we don't, then people gonna continue to uh have that stigma uh that they live with and which gonna cost them from getting tested, cost them from getting treated.

SPEAKER_01 8:26

Absolutely. Like I am so, so, so excited, you know, to hear you say this because that is actually what this show is about. You know, part of what we're doing is to educate people. We have to talk about these things. HIV is something that um, you know, nobody wants to talk about it. But unfortunately, it is here in a community and everywhere else. And, you know, we can deny it as much as we want, but it is the reality. And just as Mr. Galloway has said, something that um, you know, the stigma that comes with this infection is something that derails people from getting tested. You know, and even when people get tested and get positive, you don't want to, you know, you don't want to pursue that because you don't want people to know why, because you are afraid of how you're gonna be judged, how your family is gonna judge you, how the public is going to judge you. So this is just this is just incredible. And thank you for pointing that out. And, you know, coming from someone who has been there, done that kind of thing, you know, it's not, you know, so it kind of hits home. All right. So now let me let me let me tell you the let me ask you this. Um, when you, how did you break the news to your family?

SPEAKER_00 9:46

Being able to break the news to my family actually has been one of the toughest things for me. Uh and honestly, sometimes disappointment that I'm my family has not had a conversation with me about it. Uh I have eventually, they have eventually found out, but even to this day, after 22 years, I have a grown daughter that has not once asked me how you deal with it, how you live with it, how you feel about it, or know brothers or sisters. And I I do really understand that because they may feel uncomfortable with having a conversation about HIV because a lot of people are not educated about HIV, and that's the biggest issue.

SPEAKER_01 10:25

Okay. Yeah, um, yeah, this is really, you know, this is really sad to hear, but you know, this is actually what the truth is. For, you know, as a healthcare provider, for you know, most part, we rely on our patients, families, you know, support. You know, we, for instance, we encourage families to, you know, come visit their loved ones and you know, stuff like that. But, you know, it's just sad to hear, like, you know, um having to go through this difficult trial or this difficult period alone, you know, without, you know, family support.

SPEAKER_00 11:03

It it is difficult not having that support. And that's why uh I work for an organization around white program that offers support for people living with HIV. So that's one of the outlets of being able to go to support groups, being around people that live with the same issues that you live with. Uh and yes, even though HIV is no longer a death center, if you do not know your status or get tested, it can be a deaf sentence. So, yes, it is great that we have medicine, but you have to first note that you are HIV positive. And that's through getting tested.

SPEAKER_01 11:38

Absolutely. That that is the most valid point. Um, here on this show, we talk about, you know, know your status. We, you know, we're always, you know, talking about that. So anyway, uh, we're gonna take a quick break, and when we come back, we will come continue this conversation with Mr. Galloway. Um, so we'll be right back. Thank you for tuning in to Medical Class 901, a show where we discuss the common infections we see in our communities. I am Dr. Chinello, Animal Infectious Disease and HIV specialist. So remember to tune in to Xfinity channels 17 and 1091 on Mondays at 7:30 p.m. So see you then. So, welcome again to the show, Mr. Galloway. Thank you so much. Um, this means a lot being able to share your journey, you know, with our viewers and you know, to kind of also, you know, let people, you know, see what it's like. You know, it's not a death sentence. You are here, you know, you've dealt with this for you know 20 plus years, about 22 years or so, and you are doing great and you look great. And it takes a lot of courage to be able to share this, you know, story and to share your story with with the public. So I am so honored again to have you here. You know, we talked about this being a kind of difficult conversation to to have with people, but now we're not we're not just talking about adults now, we're also talking about kids.

SPEAKER_00 13:11

Yes, uh right now Memphis is number one in nation's new HIV case, and it affects our youth the most from age 14 to age 25. That's school age. Yes. So we got to get out and do a more outreach, get out to schools and be able to educate our youth about what it takes to not be able to contract HIV. And that's gonna come through people like myself and let them know how difficult it has been to live with HIV. Uh, but yet still w we got to be able to have a normal conversation. We got to be able to give them all the education they need. Yes, abstinence is a great thing to preach and teach, but we have to be able to be uh normal, speak normal to them because one day if we don't teach them, the streets are gonna teach them. So we got to get into the schools, we got to get into community center, we gotta get into the neighborhoods, we got to talk to them, we got to educate. We do as many outreaches as possible uh to get out and meet them where they're at. Uh right now we try to even use uh gatekeepers' youth to let them know that's living with HIV that how hard it has been to actually live with HIV. So that that's the way we're gonna be able to to stop the what the the growth of HIV, especially amongst our youth.

SPEAKER_01 14:27

You did mention, you know, the age group from 14 to 25. That's we're talking about, you know, middle school, high school, and college kids. All right. And that is scary. That is really, really scary. So um I feel like we as the adults, you know, we're not doing much as much as we we should. So I hope that, you know, um some of the you know methods that you've talked about to kind of disseminate um this information is something that people will listen to. And we as parents, I have kids who fall in this same age range to be able to have these conversations with my kids, you know, and most of them then want to hear it because you know, my children, when I say, hey, let's talk about HF, they're like, oh my God, mom, I don't want to hear this. And I'm like, yeah, yeah, you will, you know, and they're like, oh, oh, oh, nobody wants to hear that. But we have to push through that barrier and have that conversation. Um, I had the chance of um talking with some high schoolers from one of our high schools here in Memphis, and I asked them, you know, if for some reason you were exposed to HIV, what do you think you should do? And they say, Oh, we'll take uh we'll go to their doctors and take antibiotics. And it broke my heart, right? Because this is a virus, this is not a bacteria. So there's no way you can take antibiotics for that. But that also portrays the fact that um they just don't have the knowledge, right? So, all right, so um let's shift gear a little bit more um and talk about their medicine. You you said when you started back in 2003, you were on four pills, but now we're down to just you know one pill a day. As a healthcare provider, again, we talked about non-compliance. Is that something that did you have an issue? You we're talking about 20 plus years here. Were you always on your medication every day, or did you have a period where you were just like, I'm just tired of taking these medications?

SPEAKER_00 16:30

Well, I've never got to a point where I was tired of taking medication, but during the first part stage of that HIV diagnosis and having those four pills, one of those pills kind of gave me a rash or what have you. So everybody reacts to medication differently. So there's a numerous reason why people with HIV don't take their medicine or stop taking it for numerous reasons. Being in someone's house uh that's not your own and you're trying to hide your medication. That's another form of, you know, the stigma that we worry about, uh not wanting people to know that we are taking medication. Uh either being at work and not being able to go somewhere privately and and consume your medicine. So there's numerous reasons why people live with HIV will stop taking their med from being sick to being embarrassed to take it.

SPEAKER_01 17:17

Absolutely. So um, yeah, so non-compliance is something, you know, again, non-compliance just means when you're not compliant with your medication, um, if you're taking one pill a day or multiple pills a day, you know, for whatever reason. And, you know, it's it's it's easy for us to you know to just say, hey, you know, somebody's non-compliant, you're not taking your medicines. But one thing you just pointed out is basically what is the underlying reason behind it. So if someone, for instance, is homeless or you know, um does not have enough food, you know, you have other social issues to worry about other than you know taking your HIV medications. So these are all um factors that we call it in the medical thing, like co-founders, you know, that kind of affect, you know, compliance. But for us, from the um provider standpoint, compliance is so important because if you start, stop, start, stop, what happens is that it builds resistance. And then the medicine that was sensitive at first, all of a sudden, even if you're not taking it every day, it's no longer working. So from the healthcare perspective, we tend to push more, you know, about you know, about people, you know, taking their medicines. But again, all these other issues that you talked about, and you know, part of it again is the stigma. If you're not able to be open about it and you have to hide your medications, or you, you know, you're living somewhere where you're not comfortable, then these are all problems that um that breed to will I say failure of treatment. So we're gonna take a quick break. When we come back, we're gonna talk about the insurance issues, or if somebody that um, you know, finally you find out that you're HIV positive, how do I get my medication? So we'll be right back. Thank you for tuning in to Medical Class 901, a show where we discuss the common infections we see in our communities. I am Dr. Cinello, Animal Infectious Disease and HIV Specialist. So remember to tune in to Xfinity channels 17 and 1091 on Mondays at 7:30 p.m. So see you then. Welcome back to Medical Class 901 with Dr. Chi. I am Dr. Cinello, Animal Infectious Disease and HIV specialist. And today has been a special day for me because I have um Mr. Galloway here with us. Um, he is someone that has been living with HIV since 2003. So we're talking about 20 plus years, and he's well experienced in this field. He also works with the Ryan White program, which we're gonna talk about in a minute. So welcome back again to the show, Mr. Galloway. Um, so now let me let me ask, uh, we know that medications, right, ART, antiretroviral um therapy, the medications we use for HIV is not something that comes cheap. And so the question would be you know, for somebody who is uninsured, right, how do we, how do would they obtain that medicine? So we know that the major insurance companies that we have Medicare, Medicaid, Signer, you know, the private insurance is um for the most part, they all cover um HIV medications as well as the treatment that goes, um, you know, uh, you know, treatment that goes with this infection. But there's a population that I feel like kind of would be lost in the whole thing. So for somebody that is uninsured, meaning somebody that does not have either, you know, federal insurance or private insurance and you know is positive and wants to get on medications, then you know, this is something we worry about in the hospital setting. Well, the first thing would be like, oh, we have to get you plugged into um the Ryan White program. And so I know that you are active in the Ryan White program and you play a vital role um in that organization here in Memphis. Can you please um kind of enlighten our audience what this program is in regards to HIV?

SPEAKER_00 21:33

Yes, the Ryan White program, which is something that most jurisdictions have, uh it's a program to help people living with HIV. Um actually, Ryan White was a real person that died back in 1990. So after he died, uh legislation was passed for a federal grant for people that were infected by HIV and AIDS, okay? So basically, what happens is once you are diagnosed with HIV and that is confirmed positive. Uh we'll get that person sent to a case manager within the Ryan White system and get them signed up. They do have to qualify uh financially. Uh there's a requirement, but most people meet that that stipulation, that requirement. So once we get them signed up, that would get them in the s in the link to be able to get m free medication, uh free transportation back and forth to their providers. Okay. So there's a a numerous thing that they'll have access to from support groups to or health and things of that nature. So Ryan White program is a great program for people dealing with HIV that doesn't have insurance.

SPEAKER_01 22:39

So how does, so let's assume now that, you know, somebody shows up in the hospital for something, and you know, just like in your case and you find out that you're HIV positive, how you know, how can they, is this something you can get plugged in yourself, or it has to be through a healthcare provider? How does that work?

SPEAKER_00 22:58

Well, actually, uh most people before they contract HIV don't know about the Ryan White program. Uh wherever whoever actually uh tests that person and and that uh diagnosis comes back positive, they will actually have access and resource and provide them with those resources to get them connected to a case manager under the Ryan White program.

SPEAKER_01 23:21

Okay. All right. Okay. So let me go back um just to kind of re-emphise, re-emphasize something we talked about, uh, which is getting tested. Yes. Right. And um, I keep reverting back to your own case because it is the typical case where you had no idea, you know, you you had this infection and showed up in the doctor's office for something entirely different, you know, for for a surgical procedure. And then you're like, oh, by the way, you, you know, your HIV, you know, is positive. And so something that we are seeing here, given the fact that this infection disproportionately affects minority communities. We're talking about the, you know, um, the black communities, the Hispanic communities. I wonder, you know, is it kind of related again to that stigma? Why, why is this happening? You know, because you not knowing that you have HIV can easily, like unintentionally, give it to the next person, right? And this person who also has no clue that they have this infection passes it on to the next person. So they the emphasis now, you know, even though you know we talk about treatments and all that, but I kind of feel like the emphasis now would be more like knowing your status kind of thing.

SPEAKER_00 24:45

Yes. Uh the emphasis that put on, especially people of color that actually at higher risk in other communities and contracting HIVs, probably would be geared toward not having insurance in the first place to go back and forth to the doctor and get that education that they need about certain things, sexual health, and you know, which HIV fits up on sexual health. So not getting being able to go to the doctor because of lack of insurance and other resources uh that causes them to be at high risk.

SPEAKER_01 25:19

So basically this boils down to social issues, you know, yet again, you know. Um yeah, it's it's kind of it's kind of disheartening. And, you know, that's the reason why we're doing this show. Um, you know, hopefully to reach as many people who may not have the opportunity to speak one-on-one with an infectious disease specialist or, you know, other healthcare providers, you know, have these one-on-one conversations and you know, you want to hear from someone who um, you know, cares about it, you know. And I'm I'm so thankful that you are here also as a living example of what this is about. Okay. So let me ask you now, you know, okay, you you brought up the fact that, you know, for instance, here in Memphis, where we're seeing the younger population getting infected at a very alarming rate. If you had the chance to speak to um, you know, these these kids, like, what are you gonna say to them?

SPEAKER_00 26:21

What I need to say to our youth, you all our future first and foremost, but we need to be able to know our status. We need to be able to talk to someone, have conversations with each other, and to a buddy system. But we need everyone to know their status and get tested and make the right choice and make the right decision. I know you all may see people like myself who live with HIV for a long period of time, uh, thrive and do well, but behind the scenes, everybody's not doing well. Even though we have medicine for it, there's some mental issues, there's some emotional issues that's involved with living with HIV. So I'm gonna encourage each and last one of you all to get tested, to know your status. If you feel like you got to be sexually active, be safe, stay alive, because you are our future.

SPEAKER_01 27:16

I I totally agree with that. And you all have heard from Mr. Galloway, um, I agree 100%. So for our young folks out there, even for, you know, for the older ones, basically for everyone, um, you know, know your status. You know, his case is a typical case where we, you know, you you just found out by accident, right? And so even, you know, we talked about you know lack of insurance and the issues that come with that, but something, you know, there's been so much advancement, you know, in in HIV compared to what it was back in the 80s or early 90s. Now you can actually walk into Walmart and buy a self-kit, testing kit where you can test yourself. Or, you know, we have centers around the cities where you can actually go for you know, private, you know, free testing. You don't need to pay a dime for that and know your status. So that's something that we're gonna encourage people because you would not know, you know, unless you get tested. Therefore, parents, trust me, being a parent myself with kids, you know, I have a teenager, I have someone you know in their 20s in college, it is so hard to have this conversation, but this is something we have to do. So I am encouraging every parent out there, talk with your kids. There are a lot of things kids do that we as parents, you know, do not know. You might not even know that your child is sexually active, or you know, maybe there are other, you know, social behaviors, you know, that you may not even know about. But uh being able to have this conversation and just say, hey, you know, listen, there's this infection that's out there. Um, these are the modes of transmission. You can get it from this and from that. We need it to be safe and you know, we need it to get tested. So if you have a child that is sexually active that you are that you know about, it would be in your best interest also to know their status and to get tested. So um this has been an interesting conversation with Mr. Galloway. I am so honored to have him here, and I am just blown away by the fact that he put himself on the spot to have this conversation to be able to save as many lives as possible. Because if you have HIV and it's untreated, it's gonna basically what the death sentence is gonna be. But the good news is that we're able to do that. So thank you all for joining us today. Thank you, Mr. Galloway, for joining us today.

SPEAKER_00 29:46

Thank you for having me.

SPEAKER_01 29:47

Absolutely, my pleasure. And this is Medical Class 901 with Dr. Chi. See you next time.

SPEAKER_00 29:53

Thanks for watching the Medical Class 901 with Dr. Chi M D.