As she tells her story, Shelley Rowe’s eyes well up with emotion. Her stress level spikes momentarily, which triggers a slight cough. Yet in spite of an occasional flare-up, her breathing is more relaxed than it’s been in years.

At 81, Alan Samuelson is in a unique position to share his story and tell others what he knows about living well with HIV.

In the early 1980s, he was admitted to an Alberta hospital with a ruptured stomach artery. After an urgent call went out through the hospital, staff and visitors provided 29 units of blood. But before 1985, no test existed to screen for HIV and he received a transfusion containing the virus.

I’m already planning what I want to cook for the December holidays. I’m thinking of a dinner that’s a little less traditional this year and I'm looking at  lemon risotto and stuffed squash recipes. I get excited about the holidays every year. For some reason cooking for celebrations is a completely different experience for me than the Monday to Friday grind of just getting a meal on the table.