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AIDSMeds creator fulfills dream, helps others

Peter Staley offers an interactive and informative website for those with AIDS.
By Terri Rimmer
Updated: 08/27/05
Staley created a forum for those with HIV and AIDS (Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome) to come together in support, education, and information.

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This story was written by Citizen Journalist Terri Rimmer. We encourage you to click the Tip Jar to support this writer's work. By Terri Rimmer

HappyNews Citizen Journalist


Peter Staley has a beautiful view of the lake.


His line of sight where he lives in Pennsylvania goes beyond the physical since he started his own organization to help others like himself. In the process he also helped himself by being able to get off of disability.


With aidsmeds.com Staley created a forum for those with HIV and AIDS (Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome) to come together in support, education, and information.


"I had been a long-term AIDS activist and in the late 90s I left a treatment action group which I founded and was director of," said Staley. "I spent a couple of years trying to figure out what to do with my life and hired a career counselor."


This was around the time when Protease Inhibitors came out and it looked like Staley was going to live a lot longer than he thought.


"I didn't know what I wanted to do. I didn't know what that idea would be. I eventually came up with the idea of aidsmeds.com," he said. "I was beginning to use the internet to follow HIV treatment information related to it. I was finding that major sites out there were not easy to navigate so I thought there was an opening there that could be explored. I thought I could create a business with my connections to drum up funding for a site."


Staley launched aidsmeds.com in March 2000 and said he has been able to fulfill a dream doing something entrepreneurial that at the same time helps people and they can feel good about.


"The response has been overwhelming," he said. "They love the site. We now have the most popular HIV-related community forums on the net and so it's something I've become very proud of and it's something that everyone who works with me is very proud of. At the same time I've been able to get off of disability and make a nice living."


Aidsmeds.com has been profiled in the gay press, mentioned frequently in Poz Magazine, and occasionally in mainstream press when reference is made to his site.


"I'd just like to keep it growing, keep traffic growing and make it even better," said Staley. "The most recent thing we did was have HIV blogs. Right now it's six individuals recruited from community forums all living with HIV talking about their dreams, hopes, and day to day activities. So that's made it more communal because we have a specific community forum so people can comment about what bloggers are talking about. This has been a dream come true and it's very fulfilling."


Staley, who used to work out of his Brooklyn, N.Y. home, said he continues to find his business interesting work year in and year out and that he would never set up an office. There are no full-time employees but Staley has four freelance writers and some freelance programmers.


"But I get to do editing one day, programming the next, fundraising another day," said Staley. "I'm dreaming about new content ideas all along the way and feeling good about it as people continually come to the site to help improve their lives."


One of Staley's writers attends HIV-related conventions. Staley said you can get all the information given at conventions online now.


For more information, go to wwww.aidsmeds.com or email Staley at editors@aidsmeds.com.


This story was produced by Happynews Citizen Journalist Terri Rimmer. Terri Rimmer works from Fort Worth, TX.
For more information on contributing to Happynews, click here.

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