HIV was transmitted to me by my mother at birth. I cannot explain to you how my transmission took place because I myself have no idea. All I know is that I am the youngest in my family and the only one among my brothers and sisters to be HIV positive. Until now, I wonder how my mother who had 5 healthy children could have caught this disease, even though she was healthy. Was it my father who went outside and transmitted it or did she, or was it something else? I do not know.
I cannot explain to you how my transmission took place because I myself have no idea.
Unfortunately, we cannot ask questions to the dead, because yes, in addition to being HIV positive, I am an orphan of both father and mother. In the year 2000, HIV/AIDS was wreaking havoc, but many people in Africa minimized this disease, perhaps because they had experienced much worse and did not see the importance of having their health check-up.
For my mother, I think we can assume negligence, because having given birth to 5 healthy children, she did not see the importance of continuing her follow-up at the hospital after my birth. As a result, I am HIV positive and she died of AIDS. Note that this is just a hypothesis, in 2000, I was just a baby. Looking for the origin of my transmission will not change anything in the fact that I am condemned to take antiretrovirals all my life.
AIDS killed my parents and I am obliged to take my treatment well so as not to join them. Can you imagine the pain I must have? A pain to think that I have been fighting for years against an illness that has robbed me of this chance to receive love, affection, paternal and maternal education. A void caused by this illness and I have to fight this fight every day. Things could have changed if my parents had known about their status early, and maybe today they would still be alive and by my side.
But hey, there is no time machine. Health has evolved and treatment guarantees us a life expectancy on an equal footing with a healthy person.
