For 43 years of surviving and thriving with HIV/AIDS, laughter has been one of my strongest prescriptions.

I got my sense of humor from my mom. Even in her final days fighting breast cancer, I remember hearing her laugh. It’s one of the few memories I still carry clearly, and one I treasure deeply.

From belly laughs with the love of my life to crying over the perfect meme, humor has been my quiet rebellion against darkness.

Life gives you choices when things get hard. You can sink into self-pity, or you can find something to laugh about. I’ve always tried to choose laughter.

It hasn’t just helped me survive. It’s helped me live. It turns heavy moments into shared ones. Pain into connection. Survival into joy.

Yes, I take my HIV medication every day. But I never forget my daily dose of humor too.

Here’s to the kind of laughter that lifts us, heals us, and keeps us moving forward.

This is for the ones who keep going.

Whether you're fighting a disease, a heartbreak, an addiction, a past you don't talk about, or a future that scares you—

You’re surviving. And that matters.

No one tells you how lonely the path can feel.

How loud the doubts can get.

Or how quiet the victories sometimes are.

But you’re still here. And that’s not nothing.

You don’t need to have it all figured out.

You just need to keep showing up—with whatever strength you’ve got today.

~ Bob Bowers

Studies show that a person living with HIV has a similar life expectancy to an HIV-negative person – providing they are diagnosed in good time, have good access to medical care, and are able to adhere to their HIV treatment. 

I was up late last night and I watched your special (The Fire Within) with you and your wife, she was doing the road bike through California. I think you two are amazing people, I wanted to thank you for helping me. To look at my life completely differently. then the poor me I got sick. I don't have HIV but I have enough other shit I just cried watching you throw up and throw up from medicine and your attitude amazed me. I take more pills than any normal person could stand. and I decided to live more like you I can win this fight for life. Bob you should do more specials and if there are more out there, please direct them to me. Write a book too, you might already have one I think you impact people more than you realize. thank you, God be with you. You are in my prayers forever.

Malinda

If you think life is tough, you have not seen this film. Give yourself a reality check and find out what daily life is like for someone who has HIV. Bob's story is inspiring, I have seen the movie 3 times now and every time I watch it, I am amazed at his strength and courage. Bob shares every part of his life in this movie and despite all the pain, he manages to live life to its fullest and continues to give back by speaking at schools and teaching people what they need to know about HIV. You can't help loving Bob by the end of this movie, he is truly a hero!

As reviewed on NetFlix.com

As a six time AIDS Rider and Crew, nothing struck this personal beyond the ride experience…Bob 

captured that, shared his pain and anguish and all I could do is go in a corner and cry and reminisce. He brought me to a place that I didn’t want to go again, challenged my sense 

of worth and made me want to do this all over again. He made me reach out to other Brothers 

and Sisters, daring them to ride again...The DVD takes you through some tense moments but 

you have to endure those valley experiences to appreciate the mountaintop. While he pumped 

his body and pushed his limits, we were there with him, cheering, crying and aching along those 

routes. A true inspiration…To Bob—I salute you. Your soon to be “Black Soul” Brother in 

the cause of this mission.

~ Mike McKinney

News Anchor-NBC 15

Madison, Wisconsin

What truly defines a long-term survivor goes far deeper than dates or diagnoses. It’s the tenacity to keep waking up when your body feels like it’s quitting. It’s the courage to love and be loved after profound loss. It’s the commitment to stay informed, to fight stigma, and to advocate for others—especially when your own strength is running low. It’s the resilience to hold your ground in a world that once wrote you off.

Long-term survivors aren’t just people who lived through HIV—they’re people who refused to disappear. Who found ways to carry grief, to celebrate life, to demand justice, to build community, and to keep the conversation going even when the world wanted to look away.

~ Bob

25 Years of One Tough Pirate: A Journey of Hope, Advocacy, and Survival

Twenty-five years ago, One Tough Pirate set sail with a simple mission: to educate, advocate, and share the raw, unfiltered truth about living with HIV/AIDS. At the time, I had already spent 17 years fighting this virus—now, as I stand here in my 43rd year with HIV, I can’t help but reflect on the incredible journey this website has taken.

What started as a personal outlet became a beacon of hope for so many. It became a space to honor those we’ve lost, to fight stigma with truth, and to remind the world that HIV is not just a statistic—it’s real lives, real struggles, and real resilience. Over the years, I’ve shared my triumphs and my darkest moments, not because it was easy, but because it mattered. Because people needed to hear it.

I never imagined One Tough Pirate would reach so many, but here we are—25 years later, still fighting, still educating, still proving that hope and determination can outlast even the toughest storms. To everyone who has followed, supported, or found strength in these pages—thank you. You’ve been a part of this journey, and I am beyond grateful.

For 25 years, One Tough Pirate has been a voice in the fight against HIV/AIDS—born from my own 43-year journey of survival. 

With gratitude,
Bob Bowers

When I first conceived the What If It Were You? campaign, I knew it had to cut through the indifference that so often surrounds HIV/AIDS. I wanted people to truly feel the weight of what so many of us face every day. The name itself asks a question that’s impossible to ignore: What if it were you? What if the person struggling to access treatment, to navigate stigma, or to find acceptance was your partner, your child, your parent—or even yourself?

This wasn’t just a campaign to me; it was a deeply personal mission. It grew out of my own experience living with HIV/AIDS for over four decades. I’ve seen the fear in people’s eyes when they learn of my diagnosis. I’ve felt the sting of judgment and rejection. But I’ve also experienced incredible acts of love, support, and understanding—often from those who first needed to be shown the humanity behind the statistics.

What If It Were You? wasn’t created for pity; it was created for connection. I wanted to bridge the gap between “us” and “them,” to remind people that there is no “them”—there’s only us. Through powerful visuals and messages, the campaign challenged stereotypes and built empathy. It encouraged people to reflect on their own biases and recognize the shared humanity that unites us all.

Years later, the message still resonates. Each poster, each story shared, each conversation sparked is part of a greater legacy—a legacy that says no one deserves to be forgotten, ignored, or dismissed. What If It Were You? is more than a question; it’s a call to action, a reminder, and a challenge to the world to do better.

~ Bob Bowers