By Philip Doyle
I hope to live a long, loving, and
healthy life. Not just for me, but for my brothers and sisters who were
robbed of life’s opportunities.
I found out that I was HIV+ in 2008
when I was diagnosed with AIDS. Physically I was a wreck. I compare
it to one of those characters at the end of an Indiana Jones movie. You
know the bad guy who takes a risk, then gets a shocked look on their face
before rapidly aging and turning to dust in seconds? That’s how I
felt. It took a long time to recover, to get on the right meds, and
restore my immune system. Science has taken phenomenal leaps, and I live
my life as a tribute to those who didn’t have the chance at life that I did.
I am left standing because an army of people has gone before me.
In some ways the physical recovery was
the easy part. Learning how to overcome stigma and morality judgments can
be a challenge. “Are you clean?” is a question that kind of bugs
me. Heck yes, I’m clean! Sure, sometimes my car is a mess, but I
take showers, wash my clothes, and my leather boots are kept immaculate.
Here’s another question, “How did you
become HIV+?” I contracted the virus because it has existed for years and
years. It has lived in the bodies of remarkable men, women, and
children. It has prospered in prostitutes, and drug addicts. It’s
the same virus that has survived inside talented artists, brilliant gay men,
and dedicated lovers, who have long since passed. HIV has snuffed out
dear friends and unseen strangers, and now continues to live on, inside me. That is how I got it.
I am learning not to be shy about
disclosing my status. I own it. With the help of friends, family,
and modern medicine, I have repressed the virus, and made it my undetectable
bitch. My goal is to hold it down and take responsibility for my health,
and for the lives of others. And that pesky virus that has been bouncing
from person to person, living for decades, will finally die with me.
World AIDS Day is held on 1 December each year and is an opportunity for people worldwide to unite in the fight against HIV, show their support for people living with HIV and to commemorate people who have died. World AIDS Day was the first ever global health day and the first one was held in 1988.
World AIDS Day is held on 1 December each year and is an opportunity for people worldwide to unite in the fight against HIV, show their support for people living with HIV and to commemorate people who have died. World AIDS Day was the first ever global health day and the first one was held in 1988.
