Shane calls the Lower Haight home and is a 52-year-old Project Open Hand client living with HIV who has been receiving meals with love and groceries from Project Open Hand for over 20 years. His birthday is the day after Christmas, and he jokes that he “doesn’t feel a day older than 51.” Project Open Hand is the largest provider of nutrition to the HIV/AIDS community in the nation, an accomplishment that reflects over 30 years of work, support and a model of care.
Back in 2014, Project Open Hand began its first ever client-focused nutrition study in a partnership with physicians and researchers from the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) School of Medicine. The study was recently published in the peer reviewed Journal of Urban Health, and helps position Project Open Hand as a leader in the growing, national conversation about food, nutrition and health care, as well as potentially help patients improve their health and lower medical costs.
The overall goal behind the pilot study is to demonstrate that providing medically-tailored nutrition to people living with critical illness has a positive impact on their health and well-being, which in turn, can reduce medical costs. More than 50 study participants — including Shane — received three meals a day for four-to-six months from Project Open Hand. The meals were tailored to meet 100% of their nutritional needs and integrated into their overall health care. These clients are mildly or severely symptomatic with HIV/AIDS, diabetes, or a dual diagnosis of HIV and diabetes.
Shane is from the San Fernando Valley but knew that San Francisco was home “the day I got here. I wasn’t sure exactly why, but just knew that it was.”
In 1993, Shane participated in a different study about a vaccine for HIV, and while initially HIV negative at the time, during the study, he tested positive.
“It was the first time it had occurred to me that ‘I could be positive this time.’ Being positive hadn’t occurred to me before then.”
Shane says that there can be different reactions to an HIV diagnosis: “One reaction is, ‘This is a death sentence.’" But in Shane’s case, he says that it was an awakening because “I kind of woke up and learned to appreciate a lot of things that I’d taken for granted. When you realize that you have a limited time here….”
His outlook shows what he’s been through: “My health is resilient. I’ve been taking my meds and currently my viral load is undetectable."
Shane enjoys the food and help from Project Open Hand so much that he recommends it to friends who may not know about it. “I’ve always gotten really great service when I get food there and the positive energy is good for me.”
Shane likes to shop and share food with one pal, with delicious sounding results: “Last night, we did chops and potatoes and carrots and stuff. It was great.” His food habits have changed with Project Open Hand because he’s learned from the dietitians how to cook veggies.
“I had some knowledge of cooking but now I try to eat healthier since I have access to better food.”
He has also learned about how his body reacts to good food, and says, “I worked more and ate a lot of junk food when I was younger. When you get older, you want to eat a bit healthier because the body doesn’t digest things the same way as when you were younger.” Project Open Hand gifts him “better fuel from better food” and he continues to educate himself about the good properties of various foods.
Shane loves listening to music and watching movies on his 55-inch TV, and he stays pretty involved in the community. He even helped build the Mission’s Community Thrift store!
My last question for Shane is: What is the meaning of life? His answer?
“Learn what you can, do what you can to improve it and pass it on. That’s my nutshell Buddhist answer I suppose. I hope Project Open Hand is around another 20 years.”
Mary Ladd’s writing has appeared in Playboy, Time Magazine, KQED, & San Francisco Weekly. She is currently working on The Wig Report, a hilarious book project on catastrophic illness. Mary went through 22 rounds of chemo, 7 surgeries, 8 infections, 49 blood tests, and completely lost her hair, eyebrows, and 30 pounds… but gained 4 wigs and many fashion finds in the process.