By Tiffany Ayuda
Ten years ago, Richard Brodsky of Atlantic Beach, Long Island, was diagnosed as HIV-positive. He didn’t know how long he was going to live; moreover, he didn’t know how his wife and children would react. Thankfully, his wife, Jodi, and his children were very supportive.
Then, five years later in 2002, Brodsky suffered a serious seizure during his book-signing in Greenwich Village. He was rushed to the hospital immediately, only to find out that he had a brain tumor.
Today, Brodsky is running marathons and traveling all over the world. In his fight against HIV and AIDS, Brodsky inspires others to run-he sees it as an opportunity not only to survive, but also to thrive.
“After going through what I did, I can only come to the conclusion that God has picked me to be HIV-positive, brain cancer survivor and marathon runner to show people that AIDS is not a death sentence,” Brodsky says.
Brodsky and his wife were always close, but when he was diagnosed with HIV, he was prepared to face the possibility that his wife might want a divorce. However, Jodi was the one who helped Brodsky through his struggle with HIV and brain cancer. Brodsky dedicated his first book, pre-cancer, to her, entitled “Jodi, The Greatest Love Story Ever Told.”
“Honestly, there’s no way to really cope with these illnesses. It was really hard, but I wrote in my journals, ran marathons. I kept myself as busy as possible,” Brodsky says.
He continues to work on the story of his life. In 2004, Brodsky ran his first AIDS marathon after recovering from brain cancer and, he officially established the Richard M. Brodsky Foundation in February 2005.
“My brain oncologist told me ‘If you were my own brother I wouldn’t let you run.’ But I wanted to run, and when I finished my first marathon, my doctor was right with me,” Brodsky says.
So far, Brodsky’s foundation has collected over $50,000. Working with the University of Florida at Gainesville, Brodsky’s foundation contributes 20 percent of its profit to research. The foundation’s goal is to spread awareness and support activism against the spread of AIDS in the world.
Brodsky dedicates most of his time to activism and organizing events to spread AIDS awareness in Africa. Brodsky made his first trip to Kenya in 2004 during the World AIDS Marathon to help raise money to establish an orphanage for children with AIDS. During his time there, Brodsky raised $1,000 to feed 500 orphans in Kisumu. Brodsky says the children in Africa are scared and nervous, and it’s nice for them to hear that someone on the other side of the world cares about them.
“This was a very real experience. Money goes so far in Kenya and the orphans are so appreciative,” Brodsky says. “Sometimes it’s not just about raising money; it’s about raising awareness that all of us can do our small part.”
For Brodsky, working in Africa was an eye-opening experience.
“It’s really shocking to ask people in Africa how many people they know who have been infected with AIDS or who have died from it,” Brodsky says. “On average, each person would know at least 10 people… Ask anyone in America, and you’d be surprised to hear if they could name one relative or close friend.”
Having the World AIDS Marathon in Kenya this December is especially significant in Africa because running is an ideal sport there. Those who are able to run are seen as healthy, agile and not living with AIDS.
“The full impact of the 2004 World AIDS Marathon was never realized until March 8, 2006 when the World Health Organization issued a report stating that Kenya was only one of two African countries that had a declining rate of HIV cases from December 2003 to 2005,” Brodsky says.
Brodsky and his wife have spent much time in Kenya, educating people on how to improve their lives. His wife Jodi remembers teaching a woman how to take care of fish and grow them in a local pond so she wouldn’t have to travel far and potentially sell her body for food. Because of Brodsky and his wife’s work, people around the world have recognized his impact. Former President Bill Clinton, Sen. Barack Obama and Nassau County Executive Tom Suozzi have all responded to Brodsky’s cause and support his efforts to stop the spread of HIV/AIDS in the world.
“If there’s anything people should know about those who are living with AIDS, it’s that people with HIV/AIDS have every right to live in this world without having to feel the stigma of being HIV-positive,” he says. “Society does not turn its back on people who are too fat and get heart disease, nor does it turn its back on people who get lung cancer because they smoked cigarettes. It’s difficult to live in a world where people think we’re dying. We need to remain upbeat; I have lived with it for 10 years now and part of why I’m surviving this disease is because I will not let the specter of AIDS take control of my life.”
Stay tuned for a 5K run next June in Nassau County.
Richard Brodsky (Richard Brodsky)