D-REK's Angels and Warriors

01/02/2026

2026 isn’t a “fresh start.”
It’s a line in the sand.
This year, D-REK’s Angels and Warriors is done asking quietly. We’re done shrinking the truth to make other people comfortable. We are here for the people who live with HIV, who survive AIDS, who raise families, work jobs, fall in love, and still get erased from the conversation—especially heterosexual men and families who are constantly told they don’t fit the narrative.
In 2025, we showed up. We delivered toys to sick kids. We spoke where silence was easier. We built something with grit, not glamour. And we learned something important: impact doesn’t come from applause. It comes from action.
So here’s the promise for 2026:
We go harder. We get louder. We tell the stories others avoid. We fight stigma with facts and compassion with teeth. We advocate even when it costs us comfort, popularity, or friends.
If you’re here to stand with truth—even when it’s messy—you’re one of us.
If you believe advocacy should be real, raw, and relentless—you’re home.
And if you’re waiting for permission to care… this is it.
2026 is for the warriors.
The angels.
And everyone who refused to disappear.
Let’s work.

Booking info at

Join Angels & Warriors to fight HIV stigma, support children with congenital heart disease, and get involved in community initiatives. Make a difference today.

01/01/2026

Happy New Year !!!!! Forgot to say that last night. So here's to another year. Let's continue to change the world

Join Angels & Warriors to fight HIV stigma, support children with congenital heart disease, and get involved in community initiatives. Make a difference today.

12/30/2025

Comment one HIV myth you've heard and let's smash it. That's appropriate to end the year

12/24/2025

Merry Christmas from AngelsandWarriors.org

12/24/2025

Happy Holidays from me to you.
This season always hits different for me. Not because it’s loud or shiny but because every year I’m reminded how many holidays I was never promised… and how many I’m still here to live anyway. That truth sits with me, especially now.
This year, I want to pause and celebrate something real: our toy drive was a success. And I don’t mean “Instagram success.” I mean kids were reached. Smiles happened. Stress was lifted, even if just for a moment. Parents got a breath. Families felt seen. That matters.
What makes this hit harder is knowing how much resistance, silence, and doubt existed along the way. We didn’t have endless resources. We didn’t have universal applause. What we had was heart, grit, and a community that showed up anyway. That’s the kind of win you don’t measure in numbers alone—you measure it in impact.
To everyone who donated, shared a post, showed up in person, or quietly supported from the sidelines: you made this happen. You turned belief into action. You chose compassion over comfort. And because of that, kids had a brighter holiday.
To those who are struggling this season mentally, physically, emotionally I see you too. The holidays aren’t always joyful for everyone. Some of us are carrying grief, fatigue, loneliness, or battles no one claps for. Please hear this clearly: you don’t need to be cheerful to be worthy. You don’t need to be okay to belong.
This year reminded me why Angels and Warriors exists in the first place. Because people deserve to be seen. Because survival deserves dignity. Because community isn’t about perfection—it’s about showing up when it counts.
So however you’re spending the holidays—celebrating loudly, resting quietly, or just getting through—know this:
You matter.
Your presence matters.
And what we’re building together is real.
From my heart to yours, thank you for being part of this journey, this mission, and this community.
Happy Holidays.
We’re still here. And we’re not done yet.

D-REK 🎄✨

Join Angels & Warriors to fight HIV stigma, support children with congenital heart disease, and get involved in community initiatives. Make a difference today.

12/18/2025

NMAC where is the support for Heterosexuals living with the virus...... email me D-REK@angelsandwarriors.org

12/08/2025

The Ones Who Don’t Clap

Let’s talk about something nobody in advocacy ever wants to admit:

After the long nights, the planning, the grinding, the speaking, the traveling, the pouring-your-heart-into-it work…
your attention doesn’t always go to the applause you do get.

It goes to the people who don’t clap.

You know exactly who I mean—the ones who fold their arms, sit still, avoid eye contact, or act like your win is just another Tuesday. The ones who show up in the room but not in the moment. The ones who stay quiet when everyone else is moved.

It hits harder than we want to admit.
And it pi**es me off more than I pretend it does.

The Silence

There’s a kind of silence that feels heavy, almost intentional.
Not because I need validation.
Not because I’m looking for praise.
But because when you fight every day to stay alive, stay visible, stay human in a world that still thinks HIV is a punchline or a whisper… silence from your own community lands like a punch.

You start wondering:

Why is it easier to ignore courage than acknowledge it?
Why does someone doing something positive make others shut down?
Why does impact make some people uncomfortable?

The answer?
Because your growth exposes their comfort.
Your movement highlights their stillness.

The Anger Is Real

I’m not going to sugarcoat it:
I get angry.

Angry because this work—this mission—deserves louder support.
Angry because I know the power of unity.
Angry because people love to talk about change until it demands something from them.

But anger isn’t the enemy here.
It’s fuel.

The Shift

Over time, I’ve had to learn something that stings at first but eventually feels liberating:

Not everyone claps for you because not everyone wants to see you rise.

And that’s fine.
Because applause isn’t the goal—impact is.

The toy drive, the advocacy, the conversations that save lives, the visibility that chips away at decades of stigma… that’s the real work. And that work doesn’t need approval to matter.

My Promise Going Forward

I’ll keep showing up.
I’ll keep pushing.
I’ll keep speaking loud enough that even the silent ones feel it in their chest.

And I’ll keep clapping—
for the kids who’ll wake up with gifts,
for the families who feel seen,
for anyone fighting battles the world doesn’t thank them for.

But I’ve stopped expecting the room to clap for me.

Because warriors don’t wait for applause.
They make noise on their own.

— D-REK
Founder of AngelsandWarriors.org

12/06/2025

So to answer everyone's biggest question..........Why a Toy Drive ?
A toy drive from someone living with HIV and fighting stigma hits different. It disrupts people’s assumptions. They see “AIDS advocate” and think doom, tragedy, medical talk. They don’t expect joy, generosity, community building. That’s exactly why you do it.

A toy drive says:

1. HIV doesn’t define your humanity.
You’re allowed to care about more than labs and labels. You’re allowed to bring light into families’ lives. That alone shatters stereotypes.

2. Kids growing up in tough situations deserve to see people with HIV leading with strength.
You become a living example that chronic illness doesn’t erase purpose.

3. Angels and Warriors isn’t just about HIV—it’s about community resilience.
Helping families at the holidays builds loyalty, trust, and visibility in a way no brochure ever could.

4. It forces people to rethink what an advocate “should” look like.
You’re taking up space in a way that says:
I’m here, I’m thriving, and I’m giving back. Deal with it.

12/04/2025

so I need funding where's and AIDS United for initiatives that'd initiatives Heterosexuals with HIV. I'm a 41 year old heterosexual White Male saying things no other advocate has the nerve to say....

Join Angels & Warriors to fight HIV stigma, support children with congenital heart disease, and get involved in community initiatives. Make a difference today.