When I found out that I was HIV+ I was still in university studying Microbiology. I was always interested in viruses but now even more so. After graduation, I started working at Merck as a sales rep. But in 1996 the chance came and I applied for the position as Medical Manager for Crixivan. In the four years in this position I came in contact with a lot of community activists and admired their vision. When I retired in 2000 due to HIV-related circumstances, I decided to „change sides“ and become a community advocate. People from a small NGO called „Projekt Information“ (after the idol of „Project Inform“ in the US) asked me to write for their bi-monthly magazine. Today, I run this organisation longer than any of my predecessors, I give lectures all over Germany and still have a lot to learn ;-)