Ivo Schneiter is not only a successful skater but also a GummiLove Ambassador, and rightly so. Born with HIVHIV stands for "Human Immunodeficiency Virus", which means "human immunodeficiency virus". HIV is a virus that weakens the immune system and can lead to AIDS. You can contract HIV by having unprotected sex, getting blood from someone with H..., Ivo tells us about his life as a skateboarder and how he lives with his illness.
Hello Ivo, thank you for taking the time to chat with us. Tell us something about your childhood. Why did you start skating? What were your biggest wishes? How did you deal with your illness and what has changed regarding HIV over the years?"
"I was a very reserved child. Of course, the illness shaped me. I had constant ups and downs, often had side effects from the medication and had to go to hospital every Friday. However, medicine has changed a lot over the years. For 13 years now, I have felt good without any major restrictions and the HI virusHIV stands for "Human Immunodeficiency Virus", which means "human immunodeficiency virus". HIV is a virus that weakens the immune system and can lead to AIDS. You can contract HIV by having unprotected sex, getting blood from someone with H... is no longer detectable in my blood. It all used to be a bit more complicated. I had to take 6 tablets in the morning and 5 at lunchtime and again 6 in the evening and always during meals. You can imagine how exhausting it is as a teenager to eat regularly. Today I only have 3 tablets in the morning and 3 in the evening, so I don't have to stress around at lunchtime to find something to bite, which is very advantageous as a skateboarder on tours.
When I was 4 years old, my father gave me a "hooger booger" skateboard. Of course, as a child you're always distracted by different things, but I kept coming back to skateboarding. I was only 7 years old when my father died of AIDSAIDS is the abbreviation for Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome. HIV is a virus that damages the immune system and thus impairs the body's ability to protect itself against infections and diseases. If the HIV virus spreads in the body and t.... That had a huge impact on me and my skateboard became my eternal companion.
This experience opened the door to the skate scene for me. My skate skills got better and better and I traveled from contest to contest. I really enjoyed meeting new people and improving my skateboarding. The nice thing about skating is that you never stop learning. If you're a bit creative, you can always do something new, or rather try something new until you can do it.
In addition to all this, I also completed my apprenticeship as an installation electrician, which lasted 3 years. I then worked in the profession for another 2 years before traveling around the world on my skateboard.
In den letzten 2,5 Jahren bin ich viel um die Welt gekommen. Ich war in Städten wie Tokio, Hongkong, Shanghai, Sydney, Melbourne, L.A, San Diego und San Francisco. Jede Stadt war eine Erfahrung für sich. Dabei traf ich Menschen mit verschiedenen Mentalitäten aber der gleichen Passion, das Skaten. Mein absoluter Favorit ist jedoch Australien. Ich gehe jeden Winter Minimum 2-3 Monate. Mittlerweile habe ich dort mein zweites Zuhause aufgebaut. Die „SHFC“ Super Happy Fun Crew ist wie meine Familie. Wenn ich in Australien bin machen wir viele Trips, da komme ich viel herum, einfach nur Happy Time for Happy Ivo.
Dies alles hat mir geholfen mein Leben zu leben, nicht die Krankheit. Trotz all den guten Erfahrungen die ich gemacht habe, gab es auch Situationen in meinem Leben bei denen ich nur noch an einem seidenen Faden gehangen habe. Vor allem als Kind haben mich die Ärzte zum teil schon fast aufgegeben. HIV ist immer noch eine unheilbare Krankheit und manchmal reagieren die Leute die es wissen eher komisch, anstatt dass sie mich darauf Ansprechen. Das finde ich schade, ich habe nämlich überhaupt kein Problem darüber zu sprechen und ich bin offen für eine Konversation mit anderen Menschen.
Ich hatte das Glück als kleiner Junge ein Skateboard in die Hand gedrückt zu bekommen. Es hinterliess mir damals schon ein Gefühl der Freiheit, der unbegrenzten Möglichkeiten und tut es immer noch. Mein Skateboard hat mich durch mein Leben begleitet oder besser gesagt geleitet. Egal wo du bist auf der Welt oder was du gerade machst, der Moment in dem du dich befindest ist wichtig.
Foto: Lukas Maeder Text: Marlena Valentin
