When Michael Burke began walking in 1988, AIDS was widely considered to be a “gay” disease. He knew that it was a disease that threatened his community, and he wanted to show his support while raising awareness about the realities of AIDS. Then, on June 2, 1991 while registering for the Walk, Michael met Nick who was working the Registration tent. For Michael, it was love at first sight. Luckily, Nick caught up to him about a half mile into the Walk and they walked the rest of the way together.

Michael and Nick walked together as a couple every year since then until Nick died of AIDS in 1999. Nick had been very involved in the cause, from volunteering for AIDS Action to serving on the Board of Directors of CRI. After his death, Michael knew he had to keep walking. “It is something I need to keep doing in his memory,” he says. “Because he was so heavily involved, I need to do it for him as well as for myself. If I were to take a year off, I feel I would be dishonoring his memory.”

The Walk is something close to his heart, but Michael also enjoys the day as an opportunity to see friends and do something fun and important. “When you see all those people gathered together for a common cause, and everyone is hugging each other, sure, there is sadness, but it is also a really wonderful and rewarding experience.”

To visit Michael’s fundraising page, a page created in honor of Nick, click here.