For three years, Brad Anderson could barely look at himself in the mirror. Like any other UB student, the junior geography major went to classes, took tests and wrote papers, but when it came to Anderson's self-esteem and social life, something was simply lacking.
Why the depression? In his freshman year, Anderson had contracted genital herpes.
"I was a stupid 18-year-old, and after that, it's like I was paralyzed with shame," Anderson said. "Itching, burning shame. Some days, I was so embarrassed that I couldn't get out of bed in the morning."
Now, however, Anderson is a regular party animal on the weekends, and his confidence is brimming, thanks to a TV commercial he saw last week for Valtrex, an anti-viral drug that fights genital herpes. So, how does Anderson find life under the medication?
"Oh, I don't take the drug," Anderson said. "But the character actors in that commercial taught me to not be embarrassed. I still have a life to live. Ever since then, I've been a new man - kayaking, rock climbing, biking, and having sex with as many strangers as possible."
According to Dr. Alison James, an expert of sexually transmitted diseases at Roswell Park, genital herpes is today more common than diabetes and asthma, with 45 million Americans infected.
"Living with genital herpes can be a hassle," James said. "But you can arm yourself to learn more about herpes and take charge of your life."
And taken charge Anderson has. On Saturday, his enthusiasm was so charismatic that Anderson's one-night stand, sophomore Jackie Ellman, said she would never have guessed he had genital herpes.
"Wait, he has what?" Ellman said. "He said they were birth marks. He promised!"
Those closer to Anderson, though, have noticed a definite change. Jared Stills, Anderson's roommate in Ellicott, said while it was clear the STD once weighed down his friend, in recent days Anderson had an extra spring in his step, more pop to his collar.
"When that Valtrex commercial came on, I was laughing harder than when I saw that ad for abnormal vaginal flow," Stills said. "But Brad, he was seriously into it. Good thing, too, because it's made a big difference."
Having turned around his own life, Anderson is now trying to help others. He says he plans to start a campus club that will encourage others with STDs to not be held back by their diseases. The support group, Try and Guess What Ailments Nag our Genitals, or T.A.G.W.A.N.G. for short, will at first only cater to other students with genital herpes.
"We have to start small, but there's big potential here at UB, so I'd like it to eventually go beyond that," Anderson said. "Gonorrhea, syphilis - there's a lot out there."
"This isn't about me," he added. "This is about every upperclassman's right to prey on freshman girls despite their STDs. And I don't know about you, but I don't want to imagine a college without that right."
