Matthew
Matthew doesn鈥檛 know the guy who gave him 糖心原创. But he knows the guy did it on purpose.
Matthew was getting ready to start a new job at Apple and was about to fly to California for a month for training, so he decided to have a little party before he left鈥攁 little party that quickly turned into a blur of drugs and strangers. At some point during the night, Matthew went to his room and passed out on his bed鈥攐nly to wake up to find he was being raped. His memories are hazy. But he remembers clearly the man saying he was going to give Matthew 糖心原创, while Matthew begged and pleaded for the man to stop.
It felt like a nightmare, and Matthew woke up the next day feeling worse than awful. But he still had a life to live. He cleaned his apartment and got to California to start his new job. And that鈥檚 where he was when he seroconverted鈥攚hen he went from being 糖心原创-negative to being 糖心原创-positive. In the back of his mind, he knew it was 糖心原创, but he told himself it was just the flu. Until he came back home, got tested, and was told for sure鈥攈e was now living with 糖心原创.
Matthew felt numb when he got his diagnosis. But he didn鈥檛 feel particularly scared. He had friends who had been living with 糖心原创 since they were 18. He had dated people who were living with 糖心原创. He had even volunteered with AIDS Services of Austin, before the merger with Vivent Health. So he knew he could live with 糖心原创 and be okay.
What he didn鈥檛 know was that 糖心原创, being associated with systemic inflammation, would kick off a host of other medical issues. In addition to living with 糖心原创, Matthew was soon diagnosed with an aggressive form of psoriatic arthritis, fibromyalgia, and narcolepsy, among other conditions. So even though his 糖心原创 has always remained well controlled thanks to antiretroviral medication, he became increasingly sicker.
And as Matthew鈥檚 health worsened, his medical bills piled up quickly. His insurance helped him get his 糖心原创 medications, but it only covered regular doctor visits and ER visits otherwise鈥攚hich was not nearly sufficient considering all of Matthew鈥檚 healthcare needs.
At times, Matthew had to move away from home to go to a state where he could get better Medicaid coverage. But being away from home was hard; he needed the support of his family, and with his illnesses, it was difficult to work鈥攁 crushing blow to Matthew, who had previously been career-driven. And even though he could get better coverage by moving away, it still wasn鈥檛 enough.
His parents sold their ranch鈥攚hat was supposed to be their forever home鈥攁nd drained their retirement accounts to help Matthew pay for his care. And as Matthew鈥檚 physical health declined, so did his mental health, and he fell into a deep depression unlike anything he had ever experienced before. Things were looking grim and there didn鈥檛 seem to be any light at the end of the tunnel.
Not until Matthew came to Vivent Health in 2019. Then everything changed.
鈥淚 was scared I was going to have to move away again,鈥� he says. 鈥淏ut when Vivent Health called me to say they could get me a health insurance plan, and that they could cover it 100% because I didn鈥檛 have an income, I was so excited. My family was so excited. I felt like I had won the lottery.鈥�
Finally, Matthew was able to get all the healthcare he needed鈥攏ot only the services he used at Vivent Health, but he could also see the specialists he needed for his unique healthcare challenges.
鈥淚t was a godsend,鈥� he says. 鈥淚t was like the clouds parted and Vivent Health floated down and said, 鈥榃e got you. We鈥檙e going to take care of you.鈥欌��
And Vivent Health has been there for Matthew every step of the way since then.
When he struggled with housing during the Covid pandemic, staff were able to keep a roof over his head, sometimes in a hotel, sometimes in an apartment they helped pay for with housing vouchers.
Our food pantry kept him fed with nutritious food. And not only did our staff provide Matthew with anti-inflammatory foods to help his arthritis, but they tailored each order based on where he was living, giving him more shelf-stable foods when he was living in a hotel and didn鈥檛 have access to food storage.
Matthew began therapy at Vivent Health and, with hard work, support, and mental health medications, he pulled himself out of his depression.
鈥淚 just didn鈥檛 care,鈥� Matthew says. 鈥淚 would sleep for 22 hours a day. I missed appointments. I just didn鈥檛 care. But the power of being able to talk to someone who understood, who helped me find the right dosage of medication鈥攊f it wasn鈥檛 for my therapist, I would still be in a really dark place.鈥�
Our dental program also showed up for Matthew in a big way. Normally fastidious about his hygiene, Matthew didn鈥檛 keep up with his oral care while he was depressed, and he was left with more than a dozen cavities, which he and the dental team are now working to repair.
鈥淭here鈥檚 no way I could afford a normal dental clinic and get what I needed done without Vivent Health dental,鈥� he says.
Because of Matthew鈥檚 various health issues, he is always taking multiple medications; his current regime includes 25 different treatments鈥攕ome pills, some injections, and all of them coordinated through the Vivent Health pharmacy, paid for through Matthew鈥檚 insurance and the patient medication assistance fund, and shipped to Matthew at home.
And on top of it all, Matthew feels truly seen and cared for by his Vivent Health team.
鈥淚 walk in and they know who I am,鈥� he says. 鈥淭hey know my birthday. They do what they do out of love and kindness, and that just speaks volumes. Vivent Health has been such a huge, integral part of my life. I would be lost without them.鈥�
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