I have been writing about my dare (doing a stand-up comedy set at a popular local open mic night) for The Stephen Lewis Foundation and the angst it was causing me. 

From the moment I booked the night (a big thank you to Jo-anna Downey for putting me on so quickly when she has 200 requests from comics in her email account), I felt a horrible sense of anxiety. “What have I done? 

For the last month every time I thought of getting up on the Spirit’s stage my stomach just dropped. Why did I agree to do this? Not that anyone twisted my arm; I volunteered myself.. Why do a dare if it isn’t going to be challenging in some way? I’ve always wanted to do stand-up but had been way too terrified to try it.

A friend asked me the other day, “Why are you doing this if it makes you so anxious?” Good question!

I’ve always been attracted to doing things that were very scary for me. As a kid I was so shy it crippled me. If another kid  - I was about years old then - was walking down the street towards me, I’d have to cross to the other side, as I couldn’t bear the moment of passing each other.

In grade 7 I was offered a scholarship to go to music camp. I turned it down because it terrified me too much. I stayed this way until university where I’d drop a course the first day if I learned that I had to do any kind of presentation. 

It’s been a slow process challenging that, beginning with public speaking. In the 80s in Winnipeg there were horrible things going on. I couldn’t stand people’s attitudes. The opportunity presented itself, kind of like doing stand up, and I did it. From there it grew to speaking to many groups and the media too.

The only way I can grow is if I take risks in life. This is part of my healthy risk taking. Those who were there last night got to learn about some of my "unhealthy" risk taking. The only thing that was at risk last night was my ego. I could have easily bombed, but I didn’t.

All this anxiety turned quickly into a moment that was a lot of fun, once I got up there. Before I knew it, the light was being flashed to let me know my time was up. The audience was with me from the moment I got on the stage. 

I had such a blast. I really have to thank The Stephen Lewis Foundation for this. If it weren’t for their Dare Campaign I would have never done stand up. I couldn’t get past the fear. 

At the end of the day, we raised $750 for the foundation. They do great work with AIDS in Africa, particularly women, children, and orphans. I’ve been and worked in Africa. Jokes aside; it’s work that is near to my heart. I’ve never fundraised for any other organization before.

Afterwards, the host came up to me and told me I was really good and invited me to her other open mic show on Tuesday nights. This meant so much to me as I’ve watched her host many times. Friends of mine that I didn’t think would be showing up came and sent me great text messages after.

There is nothing like the rush of taking on something really scary and just doing it. I would have been happy just with the fact that I walked through the fear, no matter how well I did. But I have to admit it’s great icing on the cake that it turned out so stellar.

The moral of the story is dare yourself something that you’ve always wanted to do but were too afraid to. There is a Dare Campaign every year; do that dare and raise money. You’ll feel great for having done it.

I've written about my turn around in health status (despite this three-week long cold I've had, but even the healthiest of folks are getting it) in several of my posts.

It all really began when I picked up a bug while traveling to Itay. Don't drink the tap water! Well try not to. On the upside, that was a great weight loss program. One might notice that I didn't post any photos of me during the trip as I was ballooning out. I'll get back to that in a bit.

The treatment was Metrondianozole, I've taken it so often I actually know how to spell it, and I have dyslexia issues! It is so toxic that it comes with a warning of being potentially carcinogenic. It is ten days of chemo. I didn't eat (lived off of Ensure) and was an emotional mess. 

The first round of drugs didn't work, so I switched to a less effective, longer therapy, not  so toxic. Guess what? It worked. Lesson learned - don't start off with an atomic bomb of a treatment if it can be avoided. 

In view of the first round not working, I was desperate in case this second round didn't as well. There was no way in hell I was going back on the chemo drug. Thus I sought out a naturopath. 

I had stopped seeing naturopaths as I figured I had learned as much as I could and it wasn't that helpful. What I have learned through this process, as with other health care professionals, is that finding the right fit is paramount. 

This time I found a good fit. I discovered that I was anemic through my last and very old blood work of last March. My recent tests confirmed this. With B12 shots, diet changes and taking iron supplements I found I was on my way to restoring my health. 

*This is where I do the usual warning to consult with your physician or naturopath before contemplating anything that I'm doing and the doses I'm taking.

On top of it, the realization that I was most likely Vitamin D deficient was another key element. I began with D3 drops, 5,000 IU daily and then upped it to 10,000 IU daily.  For more Vitamin D info, check out CATIE's recent post. 

The combination of the above, plus going back to the gym, has made a world of difference. At the recent OHTN Research Conference last month a number of people remarked how good I looked. For the first time in a decade I'm clean shaven, have lost weight, and most important of all, I look rested and have a healthy colour to my skin. 

I'm saying not this out of ego, but rather of a feeling finally I've been able to overcome some health obstacles that I had thought were just something with which I had to live. It was amazing how many people, not just one or two people, remarked on the change. 

None of this would have happened had I not decided to intervene with this particular naturopath. 

On the diet side, I had been having digestive issues that would  be TMI here. On the night of the OAN leadership awards banquet, I wore a shirt that I bought two of in different colours. This time it was not fitting well and I was depressed. "Please don't let me gain this weight back!" 

Many years ago I'd been diagnosed with Irritable Bowel Syndrome. I'll never forget the name of the clinic, "The Upper Canada Lower Bowel Clinic." I swear I didn't make that up. There the doctor told me about foods I should avoid, and  to stop drinking coffee. 

By the night of the awards, my guts were no longer irritable, they were hoping mad desperate. I found on line a diet that is suggested for IBS based on eliminating certain foods in what is called an "elimination challenge". This means leaving out a lot of foods for a few months and living on a diet of steamed cardboard and rice (that's a joke). Then slowly add back in foods to see which ones are the problem.

Through the use of this diet my stomach is flatter than ever. All this time I was having issues with my food causing my stomach area to bloat up and look distended. I'll write another post on this process and the foods I'm eating and not eating.

I'm going to show my nakedness to show how I've gotten that "AIDS stomach" down from the main photo taken in Italy. It's something I've been very self conscious about since people have taken to patting me on the stomach while offering an unsolicited comment. 

I've been able to have the endurance to get up early and go all day and at times the evenings where in the past I'd wake up tired and then progress to exhausted by dinner time.

Never in a million years did I ever think I was able to bring about such change. If anyone has access to a naturopath, I highly recommend it. 

If you are in Toronto you may want to try here. There is a waiting list to get in, I'm not sure how long it is. 

Community Naturopathic Clinic for People living with HIV/AIDS 

To make an appointment, contact the naturopathic co-ordinator at

(416) 324-4164.Tuesday 9:30 a.m. - 1:00 p.m. Wednesday 2:00 p.m. - 5:30 p.m.