| Stephen Yurcik |
| Retired NYC Police Officer AIDS Educator Founder of Positive Police |
| P.O Box 2183 St. James, NY 11780 (631)361-7458 |
| As a New York City Police officer, Steve Yurcik faced many challenging situations. He never expected his most difficult confrontation would occur within his personal life. In 1990, Steve was diagnosed with HIV. Just two years later he lost his wife Linda to AIDS, and was left with the responsibility of raising his baby daughter Stephanie and stepdaughter Jaimie. He also had the task of dealing with the prejudices and misconceptions of his friends, and co-workers. Steve rose to the occasion, realizing that the only real way to fight AIDS was to educate others about the reality of the disease, and how it can touch any life, as it touched his. |
| Steve has a special gift for speaking to young people. He believes that by raising their awareness of how the HIV virus is contracted, he can help stop the further spread of AIDS. He provides a basic explanation of the biological foundation of HIV and AIDS, and discusses the transmission, testing, medication, and perhaps most importantly, the experience of a patient living with the disease. His program achieves a delicate balance between medical accuracy and casual storytelling, which allows listeners to identify with him, and relate to his experiences, while becoming informed about HIV and AIDS. |
| Steve has a positive attitude and his enthusiasm for opening the mids of others is contagious. His lectures have received immeasurable praise and personal responses. Steve has been featured on local and national news shows including articles in the New York TImes, "Steve is an outstanding example of and spokesman for living an energetic, effective, and productive life in spite of HIV infection," Fred Valentine, M.D. Professor of Medicine, Director Center for AIDS Research, NYU School of Medicine/Bellevue Hospital. |