The Day I Cancel The Date Is The Day I Lose The Battle

Featuring Tanya Boggs Tanya Boggs: Receiving an HIV diagnosis at age 21 in 1992, choosing defiance over despair, protecting her daughter, and breaking a decades-long silence to speak publicly as a photographer and podcast host. "The day I change the way I’m going to live my life is the day I lose the battle." — Tanya Boggs SummaryIn 1992, at just 21 years old, Tanya Boggs walked into a doctor's office and received an HIV diagnosis. At a time when the virus was treated as an immediate death sentence and a source of intense social exile, Tanya walked right back out, got into her father’s car, and refused to cancel her date for that night. After decades of careful silence to protect her daughter, Tanya is breaking her peace. In this fiercely defiant conversation, the podcast host and professional photographer talks about visibility, privilege, and why she no longer has any interest in explaining why she is the way she is. Key Takeaways Defiance as a Strategy: Treating an impossible health crisis not as a reason to shrink, but as a challenge to live fully. The Lost Voices of Women: Why women with chronic diagnoses often slip into invisible caretaking loops, hiding their own pain. The Mentorship of Dignity: Learning how to live out loud from a dying companion who refused to hide his medical realities at the dinner table. Breaking the Stigma: Recognizing that old fears still dominate modern cultural conversations around health and aging. Episode Guide & Timestamps [00:03:00] – Leaving the weight requirements of the Tisch School of the Arts to protect personal freedom. [00:06:15] – The discovery of swollen lymph nodes and a terrifying misdiagnosis of cancer. [00:08:45] – The Friday afternoon phone call that delivered a life-altering diagnosis. [00:12:30] – The choice to hunt for long-term survivors and actively choose hope. [00:14:15] – Walking into support groups and finding an unexpected absolute absence of women. [00:16:45] – The impact of Mark: Learning to put medicine on the table with absolute dignity. [00:20:30] – Going quiet for a generation to fiercely protect her daughter’s childhood. [00:25:30] – Reclaiming public visibility: Why "HIV stigma sucks" remains a necessary battle today. Resources & Links Listen to Her Show: Subscribe to the You Are Here Podcast with Tanya Boggs View Her Visual Work: Explore her professional portraiture work at Tanya Boggs Photography About your host - meet Cheryl Becir: theboomersrevolt.ca She is 69. Curious as hell and not done yet.After decades leading Not-for-profit organizations - challenging systems, and driving meaningful change, Cheryl “retired”… and lasted about five minutes. Now? She’s asking even better questions. With sharp insight, lived experience, and a refusal to play small, Cheryl creates space for conversations that are honest, layered, and deeply human. This isn’t a retirement project. This is the next chapter, on her own terms.