Important note: Information in this article was accurate in 2008. The state of the art may have changed since the publication date.
The New York Times - July 13, 2008
Francesca Cao
"It's a struggle," he admits. "I need to eat fruits because they give me vitamins, but I can't afford to buy a lot of them."
That's why he decided to get involved in politics and works for an organization that finds housing for people with AIDS. "We can't wait for things to change," he said. "The law on AIDS benefits was passed in 1987, and we have to do something to improve it."
Mr. Starks, who has had AIDS for nearly 23 years, was married in 1976 and is the father of two children, a son and a daughter. In 1978, he began to use heroin, and after seven years of marriage, he and his wife divorced. He lost custody of his children and started living on the streets.
In 2001, he decided to try to change his life. He discovered that he had a passion for sculpture, and the next year he won a scholarship to the Educational Alliance Art School on the Lower East Side. After two decades of living on the street, he says, sculpturing has helped him move away from a difficult past.
Last month, for the first time, one of Mr. Starks's works was put on exhibit in the boardroom at the Credit Suisse Bank at 11 Madison Avenue. When his son, Ronald, saw his father's piece, which was made of Brazilian soapstone and titled "Nef, the African Queen," he came to the conclusion that even the worst disease can bring out the best in a person, even in someone who has been lost for a long time.
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