It is with great honor that I accepted to be one of the ambassadors for NWGHAAD. As a Global Ambassador for The Well Project, I was the perfect fit. The Well Project is a fountain of information and the only website that I know that caters to women’s and girls’ issues. This hits close to home for me. I was infected in 1989 at the age of 16 and did not know it…if it wasn’t for the test I got to enter a program for troubled teens called Job Corps I would not know have known I had HIV and I might have died. :( I firmly believe that I am alive because I found out at an early stage and from that day I valued my health and life.
I ask of all women and girls to get tested and know your status…please. This can save your life and the life of any potential partner you may have. Early detection and getting on your meds with an intact immune system will help you live a long life. And if you are negative you will have the power to continue being negative and staying that way. I always tell people the importance of knowing your status is more than knowing, it saves lives. Why?? Because if you happen to test positive and take your Antiretrovirals (HIV meds) you can be healthy, undetectable and the good news is that when you are undetectable it is a very low percentage to transmit the virus to another human being. :) So we can finally get to new infections one day.
Get tested, love yourself and protect yourself.
Love and light
Maria T. Mejia
To read more about NWGHAAD and see all the ambassadors, please click here.
