AIDS
Pedro faces illness

Do you think AIDS is an illness only other people get?

Pedro Zamora did. He wanted you to know the truth.

When Pedro was eight, his family moved from Cuba to the United States. He adapted well to high school in Miami. "I was an honor student. I was captain of my cross-country team. I was the President of the Science Club."

Pedro dreamed of becoming a doctor. But his world fell apart when he was 14. His mother died of cancer. "My mother was the most important person in my life. She made me feel that I could do whatever I wanted."

To fill the void, Pedro turned to sex.

"By day, I went to high school and became one of the best students. At night, I went out and had sex."

Pedro gave blood at the American Red Cross Blood Drive. His blood was rejected. He was told it was infected with HIV.

"I am thinking, 'That can't be.' I believed people with AIDS were bad and dirty, and they were going to die. I am not dirty. I am not a bad person. I can't be sick."

At first, Pedro was too ashamed to tell his father. Eventually he did. Pedro felt helpless to ease his father's anguish. "It was hard to see him hurting and know I was causing it. I was never the kind of kid that gave him a lot of problems.

My dad said, 'Whatever you need, I'll be here.' The greatest gift I got is that my dad has really shown me what unconditional love is all about."

MTV asked Pedro to be a member of the cast of The Real World. He accepted the opportunity to show people the face of AIDS.

Pedro died when he was 23. At his memorial service, a friend said Pedro's plea was simple: "Look at me and listen. I can make you love me. If you love me, you'll love us all."

The story includes excerpts from Risky Times: How to Be AIDS-Smart and Stay Healthy A Guide for Teenagers by (Workman Publishing 1990).