Rise Up To HIV

To join the NO SHAME CAMPAIGN, tag RiseUpToHIV on Facebook with your story and photo, or email NoShame@RiseUpToHIV.org. HELP END THE STIGMA.

I wasn't told I was HIV + until I was in the 6th grade. It was kind of scary, but at the same time, confusing. At that time I had no idea what HIV was, or how it would affect my life, but it did explain why I took so many pills and got sick a lot.

Like many firstly infected with this virus, I had lots of the side effects from the medications. After a year with HIV, I had PCP and ended up in the hospital with shingles as well. During my stay, I found out that I had internal Karposi Sarcoma (cancer) and I thought I was not going to make it. I was very afraid.

Since then I have become more and more educated about HIV. One night, in 2010, my partner and I were at a restaurant with some friends who are HIV+. Our friends left early, and when the waitress went to clear the glasses, someone at the table told her not to touch them because they had HIV/AIDS. How could someone be so stupid?

We moved to Belize in 1991, my husband was from there and in 1996 we opened our restaurant – it was quite a success. We were married for 18 years in what I thought was a monogamous marriage, until 2001 when my he turned fifty and left me for a young Honduran girl.

When I got the news that my HIV test was confirmed positive, I thought I was receiving my death sentence. I now know, that was actually the moment I was blessed with a new life. I grew up sheltered, in the small farming and military town of Yuma, AZ. When the AIDS epidemic first surfaced in the early 80’s, the terror of the disease was my biggest fear.

Raven was born HIV positive, and Michelle learned of both their diagnoses when she was severely beaten by her crack using boyfriend one night. She finally decided to leave that horrible life she was living.

I believed that I was worthless and that everyone would judge me. This hiding left me living a life of shame and unhappiness. Today I am taking a stand in my life and more importantly, with anyone that lives with HIV, to end the stigma in our communities.

Its central tenet is to advocate, educate, secure funding and support for cure research. Timothy is hopeful that medical advances will allow others suffering from the virus that causes AIDS to be cured, too.

When I finally had a moment of clarity and decided to get clean that’s when I found out I was HIV+. I wasn’t sure if it was worth it to get clean, but there was plenty of support to help me deal with my illness. It took a while for it to all sink in.

Coupled with my disease, I am an addict coming up on a year clean. This has been the greatest battle I have had to fight. I have witnessed countless people lose their lives because they simply won't accept the abundance waiting for them on the other side of the recovery bridge.