RobbyGee was photographed as part of the Portraits of Pride series in October of 2020. For those who read his incredibly moving story, you may remember him as a “Thriver and HIV Survivor”.
Recently, two of his sons — Matthew and Andrew — moved in with him.
Andrew is a licensed CNA and moved to Akron from North Carolina to be his father’s caretaker.
“I had been having some falls lately and needed a caretaker,” RobbyGee said. “Because I’ve had numerous orthopedic surgeries over the years — six spinal, one hip replacement and one shoulder replacement — my pain levels. I’ve been a fall risk for a few months now.”
Without regular visits to the gym due to COVID-19, RobbyGee says his strength has waned. He says he’s fallen at home four times in just over one month.
The second photograph was captured on Christmas Day, after I received a kind message from RobbyGee on Christmas morning. I asked what his plans were, worried that he may be spending the holiday alone.
He replied, saying he felt lucky to spend Christmas with two of his sons. I replied with an eager heart, and offered to come by and capture their photo. After I captured their photos, we tried to stay warm outside and talked about RobbyGee’s family.
“All of my sons and daughters are my chosen children who needed a good father figure,” RobbyGee said. “My five other sons and three daughters are probably jealous, but I am happy that I get to spend the holiday with a couple of my children.”
