Marissa's blog

The day we all anticipate for yummy food and store deals but the one day out of the year where many intentionally pause to remember all they are thankful for!

I've kinda been in weird place mentally and emotionally. I'm sure a lot of it has to do with my physical health, but that's a story for another day. You'd think by now some of the negative responses...

Let me start by warning you that this will be a pretty long blog; we've got three weeks of misery to cover. First, I want to acknowledge that HIV can be a tricky virus. That's apparently the reason they haven't come up with a vaccine or a cure. BUT Covid, Covid took me on a very wild ride!

Geez!! Anyone else feeling really really tired, exhausted and unmotivated?! I have been for awhile, and I can't even blame covid although it certainly hasn't helped. I was talking with a coworker...

May 23, 2021 marked five years that I've been living with HIV.

I have been HIV positive since 2016, almost five years. When I thought about sharing my story and status publicly, I knew I would eventually attend conferences where I could meet many other amazing women living openly with the condition.

I recently took an impromptu trip to the Dominican Republic for some R&R with my girls! And while COVID is still very much a factor, I just kept repeating YOLO in my head.

Dear Advocate, 2021, so far, has been a year of focusing on me and choosing me above all else. Too often I have dimmed my light and emptied my cup for the needs of others.

According to the CDC, in 2018, Black/African American people accounted for 13% of the US population but 42% (16,002) of the 37,968 new HIV diagnoses in the United States and dependent areas.

2020 has been a year for us all. I know mine has been met with heartache, joy and so many things in between. But since being diagnosed in 2016, I finally decided 2020 was the year I would date and be unapologetically HIV+.