disclosure

I had the immense pleasure of attending and participating in PWN's First Annual Women's Conference in Fort Walton Beach, Florida in October compliments of The Well Project and A Girl Like Me. While...

My name is Robin Barkins. I was diagnosed with HIV at the age of 15. When I heard the devastating news, I thought my life was over. I refused all HIV treatment. I began to use drugs and I slept around...

Recently I saw on the news a wonderful story of a family here in CO that had adopted several HIV+ children from Uganda and other countries. They had educated themselves about the illness and adopted...

Got results today, not for bloods but from my annual cervical smear; all good, as usual. I dutifully go every year to follow recommended procedure because of my status. Staring at the familiar flowers on the ceiling at my local GUM clinic I have a kind of epiphany, "HIV is for life, not just for clinic visits".

In my previous blogs I spoke a lot about what life was like being diagnosed with HIV. I spoke of the shame and guilt I felt along with the shame people placed upon me because of this disease. I hated my fate, I hated the man and I hated me. I stopped living, dreaming and hoping. It wasn't until I began to deal with the issues that impacted the life that led me to HIV that I began to live again.

I took a seminar on the language we use when discussing HIV. It really made me stop and think about the words I use when describing myself and HIV. From the time I was diagnosed I have always hated to...

Two days before I was to leave I became very anxious because I knew I would be around a lot of women who knew much more about activism than I did. Even though I had quit smoking I bought three packs...

Jesus knows that I've gone through, made, and been forced to go through some changes. I don't mind change because life is full of them. It is overwhelming sometimes. The instability of life dictates most change.

I told my son that I am HIV positive. It didn't go quite as I imagined. I had pictured him older and under different circumstances. But the opportunity presented itself and I followed through.

It's been a while. Lots has happened! And I'm just about to embark on a 3 week working holiday road trip and then a stay at KPS Trebullom so thought it's time to catch up and share. It's all good in...