About Don

Don Carrel has been living with AIDS since 1995. He suspects he was infected with HIV in 1981. Thirty years later, less than 2 percent of people with HIV worldwide have lived long enough to share their stories. While lying in a hospital bed with pneumocystis pneumonia - the most common form of death for someone with AIDS - Don had a riveting dream that would dramatically change his life and possibly the lives of more than 150,000 teenagers. After making a full recovery, Don set out to teach young people what they needed to know about HIV prevention so that they wouldn't wind up in his shoes. His lofty goal: to stomp out AIDS. Sixteen years later, Don has thousands of thank-you letters from teens who have heard his compelling school presentations. Today, Don hopes to reach an even wider audience with his book, My Dream to Trample AIDS.