On From Sparks to Light, we hear the stories of people who are making a difference. People who are giving back in various ways. What we don’t often hear, however, is the stories of how their actions impact others. What happens because of that work.

In 2024, Honoring Our Experience will celebrate its 10th anniversary. Over the next year we will hear the voices of the people who have become integral members of the long-term survivor’s community that Honoring Our Experience has helped create. People who never imagined they would live long enough to look back and recognize the path they’d walked and discover the new one that stood in front of them. People who have found their spark and are leading the journey forward.

This week, Gregg Cassin, the founder of that extraordinary program and I talk to Carlos Ferriera who tells us how important community was in his recovery and learned to forgive himself and find his purpose.

Carlos immigrated to America at the age of 4 from the then Portuguese African colony of the Cape Verde Islands. He grew up in Brooklyn, New York, and fulfilled his parent's dream by becoming the first member of his family to obtain a college degree. In 1982, he left for Southern California as the New York City winters were bleeding him and the pall of death hung heavy.

He hoped to escape the ravages of AIDS. But in 1985 he tested positive with a 3-year life expectancy. Fortunately, he turned out to be a long term non-progressor. He survived HIV/AIDS, but  almost did not survive the meth epidemic in the 2010s. He am eternally grateful to SFAF, in particular the harm reduction based Stonewall Project, for helping me turn his life completely around.

“My mission in life is not merely to survive, but to thrive; and to do so, with some passion, some compassion, some humor, and some STYLE”. - Carlos Ferriera

You can learn more and support the work of Honoring Our Experience here.

To learn more about Robert Maggio, the composer of "Where Love is Love," our theme music, please check out his website.

To learn more about Suzanne, visit her website.

To learn more about the inspiration for this podcast, please check out Suzanne's memoir, Estrellas - Moments of Illumination Along El Camino de Santiago

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