Donna Sabatino September 2010

It is with great honor we announce Doona Sabatino as our Dab the AIDS Bear's Angel for September 2010.

Donna was born in NJ in the small rural town of Boonton. She Stayed there all through childhood and graduated from Boonton High School in 1980. Donna attended Rowan University, back then it was called Glassboro State College, in South Jersey for my Bachelors in Education.

The following is Donna's life story:

So, I guess you can say I am a “Jersey Girl”. I was always an athlete, loved softball, basketball and tennis, played throughout HS and most of college. I spent all my summers while in college at the Jersey Shore bartending during the day and waitressing at night, made enough money to spend during the school year, but augmented it with 2 nights a week at a local bar in town during the school year. Needed gas money. Majored in Physical Education and Health while at GSC; however, during my Senior year of college and during my student teaching semester, I realized teaching was not something I cared to do or the rest of my life. So I took a job at a getaway Spa for the “Rich and Famous” in Pompano Beach, Florida and relocated in 1984.

While I was working at the Spa, I met a great friend, his name was Wesley. Wesley was an older guy, full of life and some great stories of his partying days in California prior to coming the Florida. We spent a lot of time together, he was a massage therapist and he was a great friend. One day he shared with me how he has been feeling fatigued, worn out, not able to do as many massages in a day as he could a few months ago and fevers at night all the time.

I finally convinced him to see a doctor, he was not the doctor type, he was into natural therapies and herbal treatments. He was tested for everything, including HIV. A few months went by and he told me he got his results and he was HIV+, this was in 1988. He was petrified and at the time, I knew very little about HIV, but by this time I was just starting nursing school and was determined to find out as much as I could. Wesley did alternative treatments, Ozone therapies, blood washings and many other things I had no idea what they were. AZT was the only medication and he was taking it around the clock. Wesley’s girlfriend, Wesley, my husband and I spent a lot of time together and had great fun going to concerts, Dolphin games and just hanging out! I could tell he was getting worse, but it never stopped him.

About 1 year went by and he realized he could no longer work as a massage therapist; he was just too weak and fragile. He had developed KS and PCP over the past couple of months and all he could do was stay home and rest. He deteriorated rapidly and in 1991 Wesley died from PCP. He fought until his last breathe; laughed, prayed and kept us all close by his side. He was a fighter, but was ready to go near the end.

I made him a promise that I keep today. I promised my dear friend that I would finish nursing school and work my hardest to help those in need of love, hope and health who are living with HIV/AIDS. I graduated nursing school in 1993 and have been involved at the bedside, in the clinic and in HIV research ever since. I have held many patients in my arms as they took their last breath with NO family or friends by their side and put far too many “toe tags” on those I lost, and still today, have not given up hope that one day we will put an end to this disease and the stigma attached to it. Hopefully, in my lifetime and if not, hopefully my son will be able to live in a world without AIDS…..

Donna has served on the board of many conferences, committees and organizations in additional to the work she talked about above.

For these and many more reasons, it is our great honor to announce Donna Sabatino as our Dab the AIDS Bear's Angel for September 2010.