Comedian, Actor, and Advocate,
Daniel G. Garza was chronically
underweight and sickly; he initially
blamed his hard-partying
lifestyle.
A caring boss and friend in the
restaurant at which he worked sat
him down and essentially fired
him. He would take him back, but
only after he sought help. Daniel
wound up in hospital with 108 T
cells and weighing 110 pounds.
The news he had avoided for
years was now there in black and
white. He had the frighteningly
real diagnosis of AIDS.
“Oddly enough, as a kid, I never
saw me going past thirty years
old. I always thought I would die
at thirty.”
24—iPain Living Magazine
In one way, it was a call to action,
launching his long career as
an advocate and educator. In another
way, it gave him the excuse
to continue to use drugs and alcohol.
His parents and family, who
had just begun to come around to
his being gay, were ill-prepared
for an AIDS diagnosis.
Daniel found himself lacking the
adequate knowledge and tools to
allay their fears. He got involved
with HIV advocacy and outreach,
learning as he went along. He
ended up volunteering at an agency
where he himself had gone to
learn about his disease.
He stayed in Houston for twelve
years. He worked for Southern
Texas organizations such as The
Valley AIDS Council, The
Thomas Street Clinic in Houston,
The Houston Ryan White Planning
Council, and Child Protective
Services of Houston. He was
now an advocate, an HIV Outreach
Ambassador, he was an educator
for youth and families.
Ironically, he went back to college
and studied to be a drug and
alcohol counselor while still using
himself. Eventually, he sobered
up and in 2009 moved to
Laguna Beach, California, where
he still resides and is busier than
ever making a difference in both
the health and entertainment industries.
He shares his story with students,
from junior high all the way to
those doing graduate work in
medicine, on their way to becoming
the next generation of physi-
(Connued on page 26)