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Daddy Dab Garner
Founder, CEO

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DADDY DAB'S BELIEFS


I BELIEVE WE CAN EACH MAKE A DIFFERENCE in the lives of our fellow citizens. It takes ordinary people to make extraordinary things happen!

I BELIEVE WE CAN WORK TOGETHER to make sure no American goes without life saving medications and services.

I BELIEVE WE CAN FIND A VACCINE AND A CURE FOR AIDS.

I BELIEVE IN THE DAY WHEN WE'LL BE ABLE TO SAY, "REMEMBER WHEN PEOPLE DIED FROM HIV AND AIDS? HOW MANY YEARS AGO WAS THAT NOW?".

THIS IS MY NOW AS AN AMERICAN to take personal responsibility for the welfare of my fellow citizens.

THIS IS MY NOW AS A HIV+ PERSON to assist, education and serve my fellow citizens regardless of their HIV status.

THIS IS MY NOW AS A LONG TERM SURVIVOR OF HIV AND AIDS to assist, educate, serve, and protect the HIV/AIDS community.

I was born March 28, 1962 in Pensacola, Florida at Baptist Hospital. In the 1960's Pensacola was still a small southern military and port based town where everyone knew each other. Everyone waved to each other in passing and everyone came together to help those in need. When someone was in the hospital or had a family member passed; all the women had food prepared and child care situated and the pastor or male leader of the group would comfort the family.

I come from a very close southern, military, civil service, and Christian based family. I graduated from Pensacola Catholic High School and attended several private and Catholic schools until earning my MBA. Pensacola, Florida is a beautiful city in the panhandle that unfortunately has seen a lot of destruction from hurricanes in the past few years. The beach is one of the most beautiful in the world and attracts tourists from all over the country. I moved shortly after graduation to pursue my upper education and career goals.

I have been a member of choruses in two cities; ACT UP San Francisco; Divided We Fail Spokesperson, AARP Advocate and Spokesperson, National Association of People With AIDS speaker; Floridians United Against Discrimination (FUAD) - state co-delegate; community sports teams (football, baseball, bowling), NE Florida International AIDS Candlelight Memorial Coordinator; Pride Committees in three cities; facilitator of three HIV/AIDS support groups, and a co-facilitator/member of three others; volunteer for political campaigns; co-founder of Holiday Helpers; Jacksonville Chamber of Commerce member; motivational speaker; personal trainer; fitness and fashion model; HIV/AIDS activist; World AIDS Week Committee in three cities; volunteer for APLA (AIDS Project Los Angeles), Lutheran Social Services, HabiJax; Red Cross; and BCCC Patient Advisory Board member.

If you ask, why me? I guess I take after my parents who were excellent role models. My mother and father instilled in their kids a sense of community and caring from as young as I can remember. My mom was a patron of organizations helping children and our family church. She was very active in her church by singing in the choir, acting as youth counselor, Sunday school teacher and church nursery administrator. She had such determination and will power. After her fourth stroke, she literally willed herself to live to see my parent's 50th wedding anniversary.

My dad helped protect our country by being in the Navy during the Korean War and the rest of his career as a firefighter. Dad is my real hero. He taught me what true love and devotion are not only did he retire early to be able to take care of mom but in the last few years of her life, she required help 24/7. Dad did it lovingly and without complaint. After her last hospitalization, he came to me when it was evident Mom did not have much longer. I could see the pain in his eyes of knowing he was losing the one woman he had loved for a lifetime. Not once did I hear him complain. When I had to come to my dad and tell him I was positive he never faulted. "Mom and I love you and will always be here for you. You're our son."

One day when I was home visiting for Christmas the April before she passed, I saw mom following my dad from one room to the next until my father finally asked her what she was doing. She wrapped her arm in his and told Dad she just wanted to spend the rest of my life with the love of my life. Luckily she did make it past her 50th anniversary even though she spent the last years of her life in horrible debilitating pain. Their 50th anniversary was the happiest day of her life. Then a couple of months later she passed away knowing she had accomplished her last goal.

I know how lucky I am. My family has never waived in the love and support in my life. I've had many friends who are positive or have full blown AIDS that have been disowned, thrown away by their families, friends, employers, spouses. I will never understand how someone could just stop loving a person because they caught a virus.

Most of my friends that were HIV positive before or around the time that I found out that I was HIV+ died many years ago before life saving HIV medications were available. I have held in my arms my soul mate, my God child and more than 2500 men, women and children as they have drawn their last breath and died from complications due to AIDS. I stopped counting in 1996 when I passed the 2500 person mark because it was a constant reminder how much loss I have experienced in my own life because of this disease.