Home > Blog > A Walking Paradox: Michael's story
By Tara Blake, Marketing Communications Officer
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Originally from Cape Cod, Massachusetts, Project Open Hand wellness program client Michael moved to San Francisco in 1999, after getting a bachelor’s degree in public administration with emphasis in nonprofit development. With the drastic relocation came another pivotal change — his name. 

Michael sits on a chair in the third-floor conference room at Project Open Hand and smiles as he describes the moment, just one year after his move, when he decided to change his name to Kitten. 

“It represents a paradox to me. I am a big guy, but I have a gentle spirit. I think that name better reflects a lighthearted view of the world.” When asked what made him decide to finally move to San Francisco, Kitten replies with a sense of certainty, “Computers, gay people, and hippies” — and hippies he found where he now resides in the Haight District of San Francisco. 

Kitten seems quiet and reserved, but he speaks about instances in his life that counter his bashful exterior. For example, he spent five years as a Membership Director of the San Francisco Bicycle Coalition and once worked as marketing director on a Netflix documentary called Big Joy, a film about censorship in cinema. 

Upon receiving a dual diagnosis of HIV and Hepatitis C, Kitten found Project Open Hand through his medical provider, and he has been receiving meals since April, 2011. 

“For a long time, I wasn’t taking medication because I was afraid of the side effects. At one point, I was diagnosed with AIDS because my HIV was left untreated, and I became unhealthily skinny. I was the person who would forget to eat lunch.” 

In the midst of losing his battle for health, Kitten also found himself in an abusive relationship and rapidly plunging to what felt like rock bottom. He sits quietly for a moment and closes his eyes, seemingly placing himself back in a destructive moment from the past; the contrast in scenery is a stark reminder of how far he has come. 

“Project Open Hand is more than nutrition,” Kitten says with a faint grin. “I am rebuilding my life. It’s so hard to make food for yourself when you’re sick, and this food made being healthy easy.” In fact, he now considers doing volunteer work at the food bank near his house, saying, “It would feel full circle in a way.” 

Kitten picks up a seven-pack of medically tailored vegetarian meals each week from Project Open Hand’s grocery center at 730 Polk Street, and he enthusiastically praises the curries and tempeh dishes. 

“Project Open Hand food is consistent. It is someone else saying, ‘You’re worth being on this planet, and you’re supported.’ We need to take care of each other.” 

Interested in learning more about Project Open Hand’s wellness program and meal plans? CLICK HERE.   

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