Jack Mackenroth was 20 when his doctor said he'd need an HIV test.
"I was almost positive that I was negative. I thought it was ludicrous [ that I would be positive. ] There was no way," he said.
Mackenroth returned to the doctor about three weeks later.
He was HIV-positive, his doctor said.
"I was horrified. I thought my prospect [ for living ] was very bleak," Mackenroth said. "I assumed I'd be dead by 25."
There were no tears that August afternoon, just a lot of profanity.
"I left the doctor's office in this haze," he said. "I figured I could cope with it myself because I've always been this strong person, but I really worried about my family and others having to deal with watching me die."
His fears, luckily, never came to fruition.
Mackenroth, now 38, is healthy and happy—truly a role model for gay, HIV-positive individuals. He has excelled athletically, setting national swimming records, and professionally as a fashion designer.
Mackenroth appears on Project Runway's fourth season, currently airing on Bravo, though he had to remove himself from the fashion reality show due to a staph infection in his face during the filming last June.
"I spent a few years feeling sorry for myself [ after being diagnosed HIV-positive ] , and adjusting to what the possibilities were, but then I just resumed a normal life. I've always had a lot on my plate; I've always been very ambitious," he said. "Once I realized that HIV wasn't really going to get me down, or hold me back in any way, I just proceeded with the goals that I had set for myself before I found out that I was HIV-positive. So nothing has really changed.
"I'm now completely recovered [ from the staph infection ] . I've had that before, maybe three or four years ago. It just was bad luck, bad timing for me [ that it returned. ] "
The Emmy-nominated reality series Project Runway features host Heidi Klum and a panel of industry luminaries, such as Michael Kors and Nina Garcia. Tim Gunn, the chief creative officer at Liz Claiborne, Inc., acts as a mentor to the contestants as they navigate weekly fashion challenges.
The series started with 15 contestants, including Mackenroth and Chicagoan Steven Rosengard, and it culminates in February. The winner receives an editorial feature story in ELLE Magazine and a cash prize of $100,000 from TRESemmé Professional Hair Care to start his or her own line and the opportunity to sell a fashion line on Bluefly.com—plus, a 2008 Saturn Astra.
"I loved [ the experience ] . It really was a creative bubble, very high pressure. It was great, though, to have that be your only focus. I had a great experience," Mackenroth said.
Would he do it again? "I don't know," he said. "I have an option of auditioning again because I left under bizarre circumstances, but I don't know if I will.
"Project Runway really takes over your life in a much broader scope than you as a viewer witness. Some days I think, 'Yes; I would do it again.' Some days I think, 'Nah; I've had enough.' We'll have to see."
Mackenroth moved to New York City in 1991 to attend the prestigious Parsons School of Design, where he studied fashion design. He then opened a menswear store in New York's West Village. In 1997, he went to work for Tommy Hilfiger. He later worked for the Slates brand under the Levis umbrella. Before appearing on Project Runway, he was the design director at Weatherproof Active wear for four years.
"There are a lot of things on my plate now," he said.
"Project Runway was a really accurate [ portrayal ] actually, though I have a sarcastic side that didn't really come across because, well, Christian kind of assumed that role. I can be sarcastic; I'm a New Yorker. Although I didn't grow up here, I've been here for over 15 years. I came across as this always jovial, always helpful guy, which is true, for the most part. But we all have our bad days.
"I think I'm funnier than I was on TV, but that's just my personal opinion."
Mackenroth also was a fitness and fashion model throughout the 1990s, appearing in such publications as Men's Fitness, Genre, Blue and others. He has a perfectly-sculpted physique and seven tattoos—the first he got when he was 20.
Mackenroth's most recognizable tattoos are the colorful stars that surround his elbows. They also are his most recent, which he got about five years ago.
"The tattoos are a conscious decision to deface my body, as weird and bizarre as that may sound; I was designing my body," he said. "I drew all of them and knew where I wanted to put them, and there's a story behind each one. I just like the way they look.
"The stars have the least amount of significance. To be honest, I was bored one day, walking down the street and just decided to get more tattoos. I had seen someone previously with one black star on their elbow, and thought it was cool."
Mackenroth is openly gay and doesn't hide his HIV status, but he does not want to be the poster child for living with HIV.
"I just always have lived very honestly and openly," he said. "I have gotten so much positive feedback for being an inspiration and great role-model. But I didn't really expect that going into [ the show ] . But, I'm glad it's a secondary effect of being on the show. I think it's great.
"There's still a huge stigma around HIV, which I think is ridiculous, and I'm glad to be fighting that is some small way."
Mackenroth added: "To the HIV-positive community, I really want to be an example of someone who has lived with the disease for a really long time, and it's not the death sentence that it used to be. You can still do amazing things, even if you are positive. I lead a completely normal life; I do more than most of my peers. So, I really want to be a ray of hope [ for positive people. ]
"For the HIV-negative community, I get a lot of e-mails and questions about how the disease is transmitted, so I think there's a need for education. People think they know what someone with HIV looks like. And they say to me, 'You don't look sick,' and I think that's the dumbest thing. What's that mean? I don't look like I'm HIV-positive? What's that mean?! You cannot tell someone [ is or is not positive ] just by looking at them. Just because I work out a lot and have a good body, and am very athletic, anyone can be HIV-positive, which is all the more reason for someone to protect themselves.
"If you are sexually active, you need to assume that your partner is HIV-positive, because people don't always tell the truth."
Mackenroth, who attended the University of California-Berkeley, has been a competitive swimmer since he was 6. He has participated in the last five Gay Games, including 2006 in Chicago—and it was in the Windy City where his team set a national record.
"The Gay Games in Chicago were great, a great experience," Mackenroth said. "To be in an atmosphere where everyone is very accepting and tolerant, and really just celebrating participation and personal best, it just is a really positive atmosphere.
"I'm planning to go to the next Gay Games [ in 2010 ] . I've been to five and can't imagine ever missing one."
GETTING TO KNOW: Jack Mackenroth
Birthday: April 29, 1969
Dating: Top Chef runner-up Dale Levitski of Chicago. "Yeah, it's true," Mackenroth confirmed. "I think he's adorable."
Other than Project Runway, his favorite TV show: American Idol.
Would you tryout for American Idol?: "No. Oh my God, I cannot sing at all."
Favorite actress: Reese Witherspoon. "I think she's hilarious."
Favorite movie: Freeway
Favorite athlete: Michael Phelps
Favorite junk food: French fries. "I could eat French fries for three meals a day."
Dream vacation spot: The Caribbean
Hobby: Bicycle riding
If he would participate in anything else at the next Gay Games: "I actually thought about it, perhaps bodybuilding, but that's so hardcore and I'm not very good at controlling my diet. And I know they have to eat, uh, lettuce leaves and chicken breasts for three months straight."
