OAHHS Hospital Voice Spring/Summer 2021

28 » A magazine for and about Oregon Community Hospitals. DETERMINED TO SURVIVE Tabor Porter’s experience with HIV prepared him for COVID and again made him grateful for his Medicaid coverage. By Dave Northfield When COVID-19 hit, Tabor Porter had a different reaction than most. “Here we go again,” he thought. That’s because the 67-year-old Astoria resident had already con- tracted a potentially deadly virus—35 years ago. He has lived with HIV and AIDS ever since. The virus cost him many friends, and the infection has left him medically fragile, dependent on a daily regimen of medications that keeps him alive. So, the idea of catching COVID left him “petrified,” certain that a COVID infection that attacks the lungs would be fatal with his already weakened immune system. For Tabor, the manner of death would be awful, worse even that AIDS. “This is a worse way of dying than AIDS because nobody can be there,” he said. “At least with AIDS you had people with you at the end.” COVID and the prospect of hospi- talization renewed his gratitude for Medicaid, the coverage that pays for his AIDS “cocktail” which would otherwise cost $10,000 every month. “Without Medicaid, I would be dead,” said Tabor in January of 2020. “I’m grateful that we’ve got insur- ance to cover us.” As with so many other Americans, the stress of the pandemic came from more than a possible infec- tion. Besides the constant worry, Tabor has struggled financially. An artist who makes and sells jewelry, Tabor’s income plum- meted after the art galleries he does business with shut down in the spring of 2020. “I haven’t sold a lot of jewelry, so we’ve just been super poor during this whole thing,” he said. Still, Tabor presses on, his spirits lifted by his partner and his dog. He’s making jewelry and is encouraged by the gradual reopening of the economy, includ- ing Astoria’s art galleries. He went in for the vaccine as soon as he became eligible and hopes everyone who can will get the shot. “This isn’t going away—we’re going to have spike after spike,” he said. “If I catch this, I’m gone, so I have to stay vigilant.” As with so many other Americans, the stress of the pandemic came from more than a possible infection.