Two years ago, Gary Cheatham was...

Two years ago, Gary Cheatham was earning a decent living as a computer analyst. He owned a house, cars, antiques, and other signs of his success. But his priorities shifted when he tested positive for the HIV virus. Feeling a need to do something, Cheatham quit his job, gave away nearly all his possessions, and began providing laundry service for people with AIDS and AIDS-Related Complex. Auntie Helen’s Fluff ‘N Fold, named after Cheatham’s great-aunt, quickly outgrew his garage operation and expanded to include Auntie Helen’s Thrift Shop, which financially assists the laundry service. Cheatham, 38, says the purpose of Auntie Helen’s is to give support, understanding and love to people with AIDS and ARC. Cheatham was interviewed at his North Park shop by Times staff writer Terry Rather and was photographed by Vince Compagnone.

It was January 1988 when I tested positive for the AIDS virus, which means at one time or another I was exposed to the virus. It doesn’t mean I have AIDS.

I knew then that I wanted to do something else with my life. I was a computer analyst for General Dynamics, making good money and all that, but it didn’t make a difference to me anymore. In June of 1988, I quit my job, and most of my friends thought I was just nuts.

In July, 1988, I saw a friend I hadn’t seen in a year. Up until that point, I hadn’t even seen what AIDS looked like. He was just 31 years old and used a cane, he could hardly walk.

He invited me over to his house for coffee to share what the last year had been like since AIDS had impacted his life. I was talking to him, and I saw he had laundry stacked up above the door jamb on the door. I said, “What’s all that?” He said, “That’s my laundry. I can’t get it done.” I said, “Let me take it home for you and do it.”

I remember getting about two blocks from the house before I had to stop for a moment because it was so overwhelming, seeing a such a dramatic change in someone’s life.

As I did his laundry, I realized I could be doing this for other people. Right then, I knew this was it for me. I called up the AIDS Assistance Fund, I found two other people who needed the service, and Auntie Helen’s was born.

What I decided to do was to sell my house and give away most everything I owned because I had a real shift in priorities. It was no longer any value to me to have a house, to have the job and and the antiques and all the stuff that somehow spells success. It just didn’t fit for me anymore.

I moved into a rental that had a garage with a washer and dryer hook-up, and I began working doing Auntie Helen’s out of there. I stayed in the garage until I was doing about 200 wash loads a week.

We now take care of a minimum of 180 people a day, doing about 1,400 washloads a month. We make every attempt to give people everything they possibly need based on what we have in the thrift shop. The laundry comes in and goes back out with “Auntie Helen’s Gift of the Week,” which can be shampoo, soap, a set of glasses or whatever we have. And there’s always a stuffed animal peeking his head over the top of the laundry basket for them.

Auntie Helen’s is named after a great-aunt of mine. I used her name, and our logo is actually a turn-of-the-century photograph of Aunt Helen.

Auntie Helen’s is very close to my heart. Auntie Helen’s really isn’t about laundry; it’s about love. It’s about going out and sharing time with people, doing a service that they can no longer do for themselves. It’s about going out and spending time with folks.

Many times, people who are diagnosed with AIDS may have had 29 friends before, but after people find out they’ve been diagnosed, all of a sudden they have maybe one friend. Many times, Auntie Helen’s is one of the few people they see each week.

I see this as a real blessing in my life. This is my life purpose, this is why I was put here. The interesting thing about laundry is it hits most people in the gut. It’s such a basic service, and everyone knows what dirty laundry looks like.

AIDS is so widespread now, there’s really not too much of an excuse you can do now for not doing something. It doesn’t have to be something on the front lines. You can go into a grocery store and buy a pack of diapers for a little baby who has AIDS.

It’s truly a fallacy to say that one person can’t make a difference.