This sends shivers up and down my spine. I've been on the other end of that phone line, and I've had the conversation in person — with close friends whose diagnoses devastated me.

I don't know if anybody who wasn't around during that period of time could ever fully appreciate the impact. We grieved for our friends, and we were terrified for ourselves.

Remember that scene in "It's a Sin" when one of the characters was closely examining himself in the mirror to look for KS lesions?

That brought back such intense flashbacks for me that I had to turn the television off.

It takes bravery, I think, to share memories of those years. So thank you for sharing!