Most of the time I do relatively well keeping myself motivated, I make sure I get enough rest and I try to eat right (LOL, I did say for the most part, right?). Sometimes I read little motivational poems and sayings and sometimes I blast the music. One song in particular really gets me pumped and so I thought I would share it with all my beautiful HIV + women who are never ashamed of what life did to you. The artist is MARY J. Blige and the song--if you haven’t already guessed--is Work That. I’m sure some of you already know the song and the artist but have you truly listened to the words...
Elaine's blog
James 2:14-26 My Testimony In November 2010 I was placed on Ohio’s ADAP wait list. It was a scary thing because medication adherence is crucial to those living with HIV/AIDS. Though I was on the patient assistance program, my thinking was that these programs would only be able to bear so much weight and with ADAP lists continually growing the thought of the program collapsing and possibly having to go without my medication for any length of time scared me. So, I prayed and I advocated and I worked. You see, I am a strong believer that faith is not just about being on our knees. I believe that...
How could anyone not believe in a higher power? I’m not saying believe what I believe, I’m just saying believe that something greater than ourselves is at work in this world!! I haven’t blogged in a while and since the last time I have gone through a series of events that in no way could be attributed to anyone or anything but my higher power. I remember I used to think that God didn’t hear me or just plain wasn’t listening. (The fact that I had my own agenda and wasn’t trying to hear his never crossed my mind.) As I have gotten older I truly understand what is meant by if you want to make God...
When I was first diagnosed HIV positive I was afraid that no one would ever love me again. So, I didn’t really pursue dating until I became a little more comfortable with my status. And even then, I decided I would only date men who were also HIV positive. This way, disclosure would be easier and they would have an understanding of the necessity of using protection. Unfortunately, this option limited the choices of the men that I could date. Even when I decided to live publicly with my status, I wasn’t sure that negative men would accept me being HIV positive, but it opened up new dating...
My name is Elaine Henderson. I am a 39 year old HIV positive woman from Cleveland, Ohio. I was diagnosed in April 2008. I am a contract worker for the AIDS Taskforce of Greater Cleveland. I am an HIV/AIDS educator and advocate. I live openly with my status thanks in part to a wonderful support system (all of my family, friends, case workers, and co-workers). They give me the encouragement to move forward and God gives me the strength. The first person I told I was positive was my mother who lives in Chicago. If I had to pick out the most important words anyone has ever said to me that helped...
When I was diagnosed HIV positive, I didn’t know who to tell or how to tell. After disclosing to my immediate family and friends it felt like weight had been lifted off of me and I realized that disclosing was a freeing experience for me. Some who were public with their status told me that they didn’t go public with their status until they were comfortable with their disease. For me going public helped make me comfortable with my disease. My first time speaking in public was to a group of fifty to one hundred high school students who were involved in an HIV Awareness Day program. I cried half...