If Eddie Long had been at the 29th-annual AIDS Walk last Sunday, he definitely would’ve taken his shirt off, despite temperatures hovering just above freezing at 8 a.m. His friends, huddled in winter coats at the steps of the Philadelphia Museum of Art, agreed he loved exercising and showing off his hard work.
“At a coat check, he checked his shirt once,” said Kristin Motta, a friend who participated in AIDS Walk Philly Oct. 18 in honor of Long.
Long died unexpectedly in 2012. His friends didn’t know he was sick and still don’t know exactly what ailed him. Some close to him believed he had AIDS-related complications.
Four friends of Long — Motta, Jerry DiGiovanni, Anika Andrews-Spilman and her husband Ryan Spilman — have walked to remember Long for the past three years. Sometimes other friends join the mix. Last year, the team, organized by Andrews-Spilman, raised $4,000 for AIDS Fund, the walk’s host. It was the second-highest amount raised in the friends and family category.
This year, they raised about $2,200. While everyone waited for the walk to begin, Andrews-Spilman got an email alerting her that someone had donated another $50 in Long’s memory.
“We are closer to ending this epidemic than we have ever been,” said Robb Reichard, executive director of AIDS Fund. He addressed about 10,000 people who gathered to raise awareness of the disease.
Jane Shull, executive director of Philadelphia FIGHT, a comprehensive AIDS-service organization, reminded people to ask their doctors about pre-exposure prophylaxis, a daily pill regimen shown to be effective at preventing HIV.
Donations at the walk came in slightly under last year’s total of $325,000. Organizers encouraged people to donate through the end of the month by visiting www.aidswalkphilly.org.
“We need to make sure the services continue to exist for our friends, family and neighbors living with HIV,” Reichard said. “We need you to keep doing this. We’re not done. We need you to join the fight every day.”
Reichard shared a long hug with Andrews-Spilman as he stepped off the main stage. He also knew Long; the two met about a decade ago at The Woods Campground in the Poconos, he said.
“My favorite memory is from one Labor Day weekend,” said Reichard as he dabbed tears from his eyes. “Eddie and a bunch of us did some bad, campy drag. But we had so much fun.”
DiGiovanni, who grew up across the street from Long and graduated with him from Norristown High School, said Long made everything he did fun.
“We’re here to continue that,” he said.
Nancy Sinatra’s 1960s pop anthem “These Boots are Made for Walking” began blaring from the speakers, signaling the walkers to start their 5K. Runners had finished earlier in the morning. A solid column of people marched down Martin Luther King Jr. Drive.
“There’s nothing but people this way and that way,” Spilman said as they made their way past Boathouse Row. “It’s an amazing view.”
The team started waving at passing motorists on the nearby Schuylkill Expressway, and many waved back enthusiastically.
“This isn’t a national event for a national organization,” Motta said. “This is for Philadelphia and our region.”
Motta started her career at ActionAIDS and now works in hospice care in New Jersey.
“I walk because I hope that nobody else has to lose a friend,” said Andrews-Spilman, who met Long through mutual friends 15 years ago. “Also it’s the camaraderie. It’s a chance for us to reminisce, share stories about Eddie and catch up on our lives.”
She and Motta, who attended Stockton University together in Galloway, N.J., bonded with Long over television shows. They used to arrange parties to watch “Survivor.” They’d make cocktails and hors d’oeuvres, discuss their favorite contestants and wager over who would win.
Long liked to pick a show and tell his friends which characters they were most like. In “Will & Grace,” he called himself a Karen and Andrews-Spilman a Grace. He loved any show with Pamela Anderson.
DiGiovanni remembered Halloween was Long’s favorite holiday. He worked on his costumes all year long and would dress up as everything from Baby New Year to Tarzan.
In 2012, Long didn’t go out with his friends for Halloween. He had said he wasn’t feeling well. DiGiovanni noted Long wished him a happy birthday in November and died just a couple weeks later.
“He didn’t tell anybody he was sick,” Andrews-Spilman said. “That’s part of the emptiness. Had we known, we would’ve been supportive and rallied around him.”
Because his friends never received confirmation about his illness, they said they can only hope they’re leaving a legacy for Long that he would want. The AIDS Walk is a good way to get some closure, Andrews-Spilman said. She said it’s a chance for them to mourn, but also to celebrate Long’s life.