Meet Hector; one of our most beloved friends we've met in our feeding line and become close with over the years. He is always full of love, grace, big smiles, warmth, humor and never has an unkind thing to say about anyone. He is also beyond articulate and polite. He's the kind of person you want to have over at Thanksgiving dinner because he oozes gratitude and is able to listen to others as if he really cares about what they have to say. He lives at the Charles Cobb apartments where we now serve in front of but has lived there for almost a decade and remembers us when we served across the way on San Pedro.
"It makes me feel hope and happiness to see you each week. I miss you when you don't come. You give us all something to look forward to."
Hector was born in Honduras. He wanted to become am English Language teacher as he loved going to school is entire life and even attended University there. But he grew up with much adversity namely with his mother and brothers. Hector knew he was gay from a very young age and his mother being of strict faith sensed it but also abhorred it. If it wasn't for the tenderness, love and acceptance of Hector's father, Augusto Hector the II and older sister Marta Estella " I would have been killed. My brother heard in town I was gay and threatened to kill me. He drank a lot you know and was so physically/verbally abusive that I was truly scared of him. I knew he would kill me. My mother kicked me out-she loved me but couldn't take me being gay."
From a very young age, Hector would see "things, hear voices--many voices, angry voices" his schizoaffected disorder progressed with age but spiraled amidst the trauma of sexual abuse from the patron of a banana plantation he was forced to live on. He made his way to Tegucigalpa where his beautiful sister Estella (may she ow rest in peace) welcomed him into her home as he attended university but the threat of violence, abuse and even death loomed large in Honduras-an area well known to have little tolerance for gay men, lesbian women, queer, transgender and non-binary human beings.
His first trip to the US he made it to New Jersey after crossing the Texas border by foot. It was in New Jersey he found work in a factory and as a waiter . It was there he also was diagnosed with HIV. He began treatment on the east Coast and was able to also start on taking helpful psych meds. Hector is one of the few who really wants help. HIs disease is highly treatable. Unfortunately, he began to seize up from the stress of HIV meds and rote, monotonous factory work and his body broke down. He returned to Honduras to see family and his condition progressed so he needed to get back to the US for treatment. He made it over the border by foot again after riding on the top of a train for two weeks, he returned to New Jersey (he has family there) and applied for political asylum which he received! (Something no longer available because of our current President.) The timing was right for Hector thank goodness. He is one of those rare human beings that you just want the best for. He made it LA by car and bus and was found in full trauma from schizo-affected disorder, He went to the Midnight Mission where he lived for six months while receiving free meds that helped him stabilize, Skid Row may seem like hell on earth to the outsider but if you are mentally impaired and penniless, it is a one-stop shop to help you get well again if you want the help. Hector never stops wanting the help. He also sought assistance with getting the proper papers processed for permanent housing. And he's been living safely in the Charles Cobb apartments ever since. He takes “Prozac, Abillify and HIV meds,” has a case manager, house security, will be sent to UCLA for extra treatment if he regresses, practices music therapy to calm the voices and delusions and is able to live as peaceful as he can now with the services available to him here in the US and not so much in Honduras. He smokes pot to help with the seizures he has from the psych meds and it helps him eat and sleep too. Other than that, he is sober.
Hector loves music, loves to dance especially salsa and the merengue, read stories, he loves words, language and being around people.
If you want to donate to him please do so through us Anything; clothes, money for advil for his leg aches, healthy food, he likes comfy t-shirts and hoodies and comfy pants too.. He would be blown away with gratitude. He seriously doesn't even try to hustle anyone- he is a soul packed with so much peace; his aura is seriously so bright. We love you Hector. Thank you for sharing your life with us and filling us up with so much joy when we see you each Sunday.
