Important note: Information in this article was accurate in 2002. The state of the art may have changed since the publication date.
|
|
Dallas Morning News (12.20.02) - Monday, December 23, 2002
Frank Trejo
Founded in 1980, Turtle Creek Chorale has become one of the foremost male choral groups in the country. It has more than two dozen recordings and has toured throughout the United States and in Europe. In 1994, the chorale was featured in an Emmy-Award- winning documentary produced by KERA-TV, "After Goodbye: An AIDS Story."
Dr. Timothy Seelig, the chorale's artistic director, has also become a grief counselor and advocate. The group provides physical and financial assistance to HIV/AIDS patients, as well as emotional support. "HIV can be a very lonely disease. Persons suffering from HIV can experience discrimination, abandonment and loneliness," said Seelig.
"They are part of my family," said Keith Lasley, a 40-year- old Dallas chorale member who has had HIV since the mid-1980s.
The group helps some members set goals, they say. Don Dureau, 60, who has been HIV-positive for 11 years, says that in the early 1990s, the group discussed canceling tours because some members might be too ill to travel. "I remember getting up and telling people that having things to look forward to in the future gives you a reason for wanting to live," he said.
Seelig said some feared for the chorale's future during the height of the AIDS epidemic. Now that medical advances have slowed the number of deaths, issues around the disease have shifted. One 18-year-old member, he noted, is "unaware totally of the destruction AIDS has caused."
Such lack of knowledge may affect the growing number of young gay men not practicing safe sex. CDC studies in Atlanta have found increasing HIV infection rates for young gay and bisexual men.
021223
AD022483
Copyright © 2002 - Information, Inc., Bethesda, MD. The CDC National Center for HIV, STD and TB Prevention provides the following information as a public service only. Providing synopses of key scientific articles and lay media reports on HIV/AIDS, other sexually transmitted diseases and tuberculosis does not constitute CDC endorsement. This daily update also includes information from CDC and other government agencies, such as background on Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR) articles, fact sheets, press releases and announcements. Reproduction of this text is encouraged; however, copies may not be sold, and the CDC HIV/STD/TB Prevention News Update should be cited as the source of the information. Contact the sources of the articles abstracted below for full texts of the articles.
AEGiS is a 501(c)3, not-for-profit, tax-exempt, educational corporation. AEGiS is made possible through unrestricted funding from Boehringer Ingelheim, Bridgestone/Firestone Charitable Trust, Elton John AIDS Foundation, the National Library of Medicine, AIDS Walk of Orange County, and donations from users like you.
Always watch for outdated information. This article first appeared in 2002. This material is designed to support, not replace, the relationship that exists between you and your doctor.AEGiS presents published material, reprinted with permission and neither endorses nor opposes any material. All information contained on this website, including information relating to health conditions, products, and treatments, is for informational purposes only. It is often presented in summary or aggregate form. It is not meant to be a substitute for the advice provided by your own physician or other medical professionals. Always discuss treatment options with a doctor who specializes in treating HIV.
Copyright ©1980, 2002. AEGiS. All materials appearing on AEGiS are protected by copyright as a collective work or compilation under U.S. copyright and other laws and are the property of AEGiS, or the party credited as the provider of the content.
.