For the first time since his diagnosis in 2017, film and theater actor Adrian Lindayag revealed that he is positive for HIV (human immunodeficiency virus).
Speaking to reporters for the Manila staging of Jonathan Larson’s “Rent,” Lindayag bared how testing positive for HIV set him on a path of bravery and fighting the stigma against the disease ahead of his return to the stage.
Adrian is set to portray Angel in 9Works Theatrical’s restaging of Jonathan Larson’s “Rent,” a musical about young creatives struggling to survive in New York as several of them battle HIV/AIDS.
“In late 2017, I was diagnosed as positive for HIV. And I had to take a break from work. I was trying to find an avenue to rest my body physically when I saw the auditions for Ateneo Blue Repertory’s ‘Rent’ in 2018,” he said. “And Abby [Sulit], my musical director, gave me a chance and cast me for Angel. That’s when I quit my corporate job and started to be an actor.”
“Theater and ‘Rent’ changed my life. This is how much it means to me, that’s how much Angel means to me, and that’s how important it is for me to tell this story to younger generations and their parents,” Lindayag continued.
He noted that “education and knowledge is power” when it comes to HIV. “You can live a full life and be a person like me who is just like everybody else,” he stressed.
The World Health Organization defines HIV or human immunodeficiency virus as an infection that attacks the immune system by targetting white blood cells; acquired immunodeficiency syndrome or AIDS is the most advanced stage of the disease.
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