Important note: Information in this article was accurate in 1986. The state of the art may have changed since the publication date.
The New York Times - October 28, 1986
From the other, he fears, there is no appeal. In one of the cruelest of ironies, Waddell, a physician who specializes in infectious diseases and has worked hard to put the quadrennial Gay Games in the forefront of an educational campaign against AIDS, has himself contracted the disease. And although he is preparing to take AZT, the experimental new drug that has shown promise in retarding the illness's progress, he has no illusions. "Nobody has beaten this thing yet," he says, putting his statistical life expectancy at anywhere from two months to two years.
Waddell, who turns 49 this Saturday, gave up his post as chief physican at San Francisco's Central Emergency facility when his disease was diagnosed in June. He has not, however, succumbed to despair. "I want to live while I'm alive," he says. Now in a "grace period" from multiple infections, he exercises regularly, serves on the board of the northern California chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union, contributes to local homosexual publications and is active in several AIDS organizations.
He also continues to work daily on the renovation of his home, which for a while appeared destined to pass into the hands of the U.S.O.C. The committee obtained a lien against the house when it was awarded $96,000 in legal fees by the Federal district court that ruled in its favor in the "Olympic" dispute. The circuit court that ratified the basic decision reversed the district court on the fees issue, although the lien itself remains in place.
Waddell was cheered last week when the Supreme Court agreed to hear the case, a strong indication, he believes, that the justices will ultimately accept the freedom-of-speech arguments against the 1978 Federal statute giving the U.S.O.C. exclusive rights to the word "Olympic" for athletic competitions and commercial endeavors. As he faces what he sees as the the inevitable fate of AIDS victims, he's also bolstered by his 3-year-old daughter, Jessica, the product of his relationship with Sara Lewinstein, a woman he met at the first Gay Games in 1982 and later married, after they had fulfilled their mutual desire to have a child. "My daughter," Waddell says, "is the miracle of my life."
He could use another miracle in his fight against AIDS. He's already had enough of irony.
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