CHATS, with Graham Masser.
A contribution from Graham Masser, son of Randy Masser, bassist of Bad Rabbits.
In 1986 my father was infected with HIV through a blood transfusion with contaminated blood products he used for his Hemophilia, provided by a drug company that knowingly was selling blood from sick, high-risk donors. In 2000 he succumbed to the disease leaving behind my mother, thirteen year old brother and myself at seventeen. His whole life had been spent in an out of hospitals and doctors offices treating his hemophilia and then HIV/AIDS, enduring needles, braces, chemo and immense physical pain.
Regardless of all this, he never complained or felt sorry for himself. He carried on his life and work as a photographer, providing for his family and making the most of his time, knowing it was limited. He lived with HIV for 15 years and no one else in my family was infected, both nothing short of miracles.
Although my father’s life was to inevitably be cut short, a refrain that was often used in our family was “Celebrate Life.” Rather than to focus on and become paralyzed by his illness, our family clung together and cherished the limited time that we had. For my brother and I, we were engrained with the idea that life is short, fragile and incredibly precious. Our mantra was, and still is to treasure your time, appreciate the relationships with your friends and family, don’t sweat the small things, and to go after your dreams with everything you have.
This is the legacy that my father left us with and I will always strive to make him proud, and not just get through life, but to celebrate it everyday.
The featured photograph was taken in 1978 by Randy Masser, in The Grenadines.