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Client Snapshot; Bill Kimker
Bill Kimker was one of the first residents of Hope House, a 24-hour care facility for people with HIV/AIDS in Stillwater, to ever walk out of the home alive.
The prospect of one day leaving Hope House was unimaginable when Bill first arrived there in March of 1996. His health was deteriorating quickly. He was losing weight. It seemed all that remained for Bill was to get his affairs in order. Then Bill learned about a new drug, a protease inhibitor called Norvir. With nothing to lose, Bill’s doctors gave him a prescription and Bill added the 18 Norvir pills to the complicated drug regimen he already was on, increasing to 40 the total number of pills he took daily.
Taking so many pills was a struggle, but so was eating. Since Norvir needed to be taken with food, Bill had a dual challenge of both swallowing the large capsules and trying to eat when he didn’t have an appetite. But Bill persevered, and within months he began to regain energy, strength, and weight. Nineteen months after arriving at Hope House, almost certainly to die, Bill walked out, 50 pounds healthier, to live independently in an apartment in Stillwater.
The years between 1997 and today have been filled with highs and lows for Bill. When he felt up to it, he volunteered at Open Arms, answering phones, assisting with turkey distribution at Thanksgiving, and helping to deliver meals in the east metro. But Bill has also struggled with his health. This past winter was especially difficult and once again Bill began to lose weight and energy. Many days he could not get out of bed. Fortunately, Bill is surrounded by caring friends and neighbors. His support network rallied to take Bill to doctor’s appointments, visit with him, and encourage him to take his medications and to eat. Volunteers at Open Arms offered to add a few more miles to their deliveries to bring meals to Bill – especially the chocolate desserts Bill could almost always tolerate, even on those days when he had no appetite. Gradually, Bill regained his health and as many Wednesdays as possible, he is back at Open Arms with his friend Jim Schoeller, delivering meals in St. Paul and the east metro.
Deciding who should put the first shovel into the soil for the groundbreaking of our new building was easy; Bill was our first choice. When asked to break the ground for construction, Bill was filled with emotion. Fighting back tears he said, “I would be honored. This is one of the greatest compliments in my life.”
It is Open Arms’ great honor to have Bill Kimker, a client, volunteer, friend, and important member of the Open Arms family, play an integral role at our groundbreaking celebration on September 27 at the site of our future home – 25th Street and Bloomington Avenue, in Minneapolis.
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