HIV/AIDS LONG-TERM SURVIVOR * YOUTH EDUCATION * ADVOCACY * ACTIVISM * RESOURCES
Houston, Texas - United States
Bob Bowers' blog and life story
“The truth shall set you free.”
But first, it’s going to challenge you and get rid of anything that isn't real.
The True Tale of One Tough Pirate is coming.
No holding back. No shame. Just the raw, honest truth, out in the open for good.
— Bob (One Tough Pirate)
heterosexual MEN are living and thriving WITH HIV/AIDS
don't surrender before the miracle
Thriving in faith, love, and life—Bob Bowers and his wife Nita standing strong against HIV.
kismet
Bob and Nita Costello photographed for A Day with HIV
Kismet, love and miracles in the age of HIV and U=U—reminders that every day is a gift, and A Day With HIV helps show the world why.
View our featured image on A Day with HIV
Straight men living with HIV—don’t let your status chain you down. Love, marriage, and thriving are waiting if you don’t surrender before the miracle.
A day with hiv - 2025
Never surrender!
We remember. We honor.
We do so today — and every day.
For Nita and me, HIV isn’t a cause.
It’s a fight to survive.
It’s a fight to ensure our fallen are never forgotten.
It’s a fight for a world free from HIV and its stigma.
It’s a fight to prove there is life — and love — after an HIV diagnosis.
Never EVER surrender.
Never EVER forget.
~ Bob Bowers, 43-year long-term survivor
~ Nita Costello, long-term educator and advocate
never ever forget!
A Day With HIV — 2025
Dedication
Here’s to every soul who lost their battle.
Here’s to every survivor carrying their memory forward.
Why I’m Here
As I wake to another A Day with HIV, I don’t see a campaign—I see legacy.
I see the faces of the fallen.
I see the scars of history.
I feel the weight of pain.
I hold the fire of purpose.
And I will continue to do everything in my power to honor them.
My countless lost friends deserve nothing less.
I love them. I miss them. I carry them with me—always.
HIV/AIDS long-term survivor bob bowers - houston, texas
Keep hope alive!
Fighting Stigma & Discrimination
Bob’s strength goes beyond surviving—it’s in owning his truth and using it to shatter stigma.
He doesn't hide the rough miles: the drugs, jail, and the streets are right there alongside the faith and redemption. He shows that while HIV doesn’t discriminate, society still does.
Through unvarnished honesty, Bob makes HIV visible again, telling the raw stories you’ll never see in a polished PSA.
Houston HIV/AIDS advocate Bob Bowers
Bob Bowers is living proof that a diagnosis doesn’t define you—what you do with it does.
His journey is one of survival, resilience, and service. Through every mic, ride, classroom, and post, he continues to light the way for others
NEVER SURRENDER! never forget!
It ain’t over — until it’s OVER.
To the newly diagnosed,
or anyone just white-knuckling it:
Your diagnosis and your past don't get the final say.
Your fight does.
~ Bob Bowers 43-year HIV/AIDS long-term survivor and advocate
FIGHT ON AND NEVER EVER SURRENDER!
This life hasn’t been easy. But it’s been mine to fight for — and I have.
Every scar, every setback, every moment I thought I couldn't take one more step— they made me who I am today.
I didn't choose the battles (most of them), but I'm the one who stood up. I'm the one who chose to live.
My life's journey was carved out of stubborn hope, raw faith, and a refusal to give an inch to the storms.
I’m still here, and I will never stop fighting.
And every day, I choose to keep going— not just for me, but for everyone this fight has touched.
~ Bob Bowers - 43-year HIV/AIDS long-term survivor and advocate
HIV/AIDS long-term survivors from the 80s - Bob Bowers aka One Tough Pirate
The Gospel According to One Tough Pirate...
fire of a rebel and the faith of a preacher...
Jesus is my constant companion—through every mile, every storm, and every necessary comeback.
Jesus is my constant companion—through every mile, every storm, and every necessary comeback.
“It’s about playing the hand you’re dealt… like a pirate in port with nothing to prove and no plans to fold."
~Bob Bowers aka One Tough Pirate
Jesus is my constant companion—through every mile, every storm, and every necessary comeback.
Jesus is my constant companion—through every mile, every storm, and every necessary comeback.
Jesus is my constant companion—through every mile, every storm, and every necessary comeback.
I find His presence in the silence before I turn the key, in the roar of the engine, and in every perilous curve I've somehow navigated. Though I've carried the weight of ghosts and the pain of old scars, I've never truly ridden alone. He has been the steady, unshaken grace riding shotgun beside me through the worst deserts, the breakdowns, and the nights I thought I wouldn't survive. When I fire up my bike, I ride not just for myself, but for every lost soul still seeking a way out of the darkness. True faith isn't confined to a church pew; sometimes, it's clearest in the wind.
~ Bob Bowers - President of the Ribbon Warrior MC
YOuth HIV/AIDs educator bob bowers
keep going!
To those still in the trenches—educators, activists, healthcare workers, and everyone fighting to end the HIV epidemic—I see you, and I thank you. The fight isn’t over, and your dedication is saving lives. While I may no longer be in classrooms, I know firsthand the power of education and advocacy. HIV is still here, and so is the need for truth, compassion, and action. Your work matters now more than ever.
Keep going—you are making a difference.
Youth need the truth
These classroom moments as a youth HIV/AIDS educator will always stay with me — the questions, the laughter, the honesty. Education is prevention, and these young people gave me as much hope as I tried to give them
bob bowers - Aging and thriving with hiv/Aids at 62
What Are the Odds? – Playing the Hand You're Dealt
There was a time when I would have bet every cent I had on being just another statistic—someone whose name would be spoken in hushed tones, if at all. Another story of someone who didn’t make it. Yet, here I am, still standing, and every day feels like I’ve outplayed the odds.
In 2004, I found myself speaking to a room full of medical students at the University of Wisconsin. I was nervous, as usual, especially since I hadn’t done many university presentations at that point in my years of advocacy. But this wasn’t just a job or another presentation on HIV/AIDS—it was about being of service, about pouring my heart and soul into everything I did.
To break the ice with these bright future doctors, I tossed out one of my “I hope I make you think” moments. With a smirk, I said, “In 1984, when I was diagnosed, if you put Bob Bowers, JFK Jr., and Princess Diana into a pool as to who would have survived (then 20 years later), I definitely would’ve put my money on the Princess, not my sorry ass!”
The laughter was loud and real, and the message landed with impact: life’s unpredictable, and none of us knows exactly how long we have.
Aging with HIV/AIDS long-term survivor Bob Bowers is 62 and has been living with HIV for 43 years.
NEW ONE TOUGH PIRATE WEBSITE LOGO
New OTP Logo
After 25 years, I've decided to change the logo for One Tough Pirate dot com. I think the new design better reflects my faith and personality. At 62 years old now, I draw on my faith more than ever before.
Photos of Bob Bowers - HIV long-term survivor from 1980s
Everything is going to be ok
Over time, I discovered other ways to communicate, ways that didn’t rely on just my voice. My tattoos, my humor, my art, my website—these became part of the toolkit I used to connect, to make people listen, to cut through the noise. Despite the lingering self-doubt, I’ve come to realize that my voice—however imperfect—isn’t only mine. It’s a voice for everyone who has ever felt unheard, unseen, or unworthy. It’s for the kid who thinks they’ll never measure up, the newly diagnosed who feels their world is ending, and for anyone still searching for a spark of hope.
So yeah, at nearly 63 my voice still quivers sometimes. But that’s never stopped me before.
And it sure as hell won’t now.
Aging with HIV/AIDS
Youth HIV/AIDS educator Bob Bowers also known as "One Tough Pirate," is a 43-year thriving survivor of HIV/AIDS. To broaden his message of prevention through education, survival, hope and compassion, he founded HIVictorious, Inc., which was based in Madison, Wisconsin.
"That first piece—a small eagle—happened in the ‘90s at Sunset Strip Tattoo in Los Angeles. I was riding my motorcycle down Sunset Boulevard, my wife on the back, when I casually mentioned wanting a tattoo..."
~ Bob Bowers
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), of the nearly 1.1 million people living with diagnosed HIV in the United States and dependent areas in 2022, 64% were aged 45 and older.
Long-term HIV/AIDS survivor Bob Bowers is 62 years old.