FEATURE
FEATURE
Stephen Carter-Hicks
I
QUEER
Representation In the PH Community STEPHEN CARTER-HICKS AND SYDNEY WARD share how pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) intersects with their LBGTQIA+ identities. Stephen is the keynote speaker for the closing session at PHA 2022 International PH Conference and Scientific Sessions. Sydney is a business owner and part-time yoga instructor. Stephen and Sydney share their stories for Pride Month, which celebrates the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, intersex, asexual community.
12 PATHLIGHT
am a gay man, an entertainer, a singer and actor, and a Christian. I’m a very spiritual person. These days I work as the choir director for a local church, but I have sung on Broadway and toured nationally with several productions, including as Old Deuteronomy in “Cats.” I live in northern Virginia with my 91-year-old mother. I had to stop touring when my PAH symptoms started getting bad. I would nearly black out while trying to hold a note. It took about five years to finally get the right diagnosis. When I first heard what it was, all this information made me think I was going to die. I drove to my cardiologist’s office in tears. My cardiologist, Zia Khan, M.D., told me, “OK now, Miss Thing, calm down.” He is a wonderful doctor who did a lot early on to guide me through my new diagnosis.
experiences of that time, such as when my partner and I learned he was HIV-positive. My partner, who was a director in New York, absolutely didn’t want anyone to know. Although the Aids Coalition to Unleash Power (ACT UP) was big at the time, he knew opening up about his HIV status would ruin his career.
PAINFUL CONNECTIONS
In those early days, I felt incredibly alone. I knew no one with PH, and it was frightening to try to tell my family, friends and loved ones. As a 61-year-old gay man, the stigma of having something that's killing me brought back the shame and fear of the AIDS crisis. Hearing I might have only three to five years to live brought back many painful
‘I want to try to find the queer community within PHA’s community and reach out to them.’ PHASSOCIATION.ORG 13