Syracuse, NY – Jim LaRoina has lived with full-blown AIDS for 22 years. He is a survivor and by anyone’s definition, he has beaten the odds.

However, living with AIDS for over two decades has not been easy on Jim LaRoina’s body or soul. It was in 1987 that he found out he had contracted AIDS from his long-time lover Sam.

“I was entered into the program with full blown AIDS with a T-count of 56. However, I was not given long to live actually at that time.”

A normal T-cell-count is anywhere between 500 and 1,500 cells per cubic milliliter of blood. Sam, Jim’s lover, lasted three years before succumbing to liver cancer and AIDS related complications.

Jim LaRoina still finds time to volunteer and help others. He is a regular at AIDS Community Resources, a non-profit agency that provides outreach programs for the Syracuse area.

Among the numerous outreach programs is the prevention program known as Teenage AIDS Task Force or TATF for short. The program is overseen by Jana Gaeta who is a specialist in the field of HIV/AIDS prevention.

“Teenage Task Force is a leadership program, it continues throughout the year and I meet with each group at least once a month.”

With advances in drug cocktails, people with HIV and AIDS are living longer fuller lives. However, with no cure, prevention and education are two of the best tools in America’s fight against HIV/AIDS.