MariaHIVMejia's blog

Tomorrow, April 18, marks my 35-year battle with #HIV! I never thought I would make it this far.

As we celebrate this very important Latinx AIDS Awareness Day, I think about how far we have come, but I also think about so many things that remain the same in our communities in the United States and Latin America.

Al celebrar este importantísimo Día De Concientización sobre el SIDA entre Latinx, pienso en lo lejos que hemos llegado, pero también pienso en tantas cosas que siguen siendo igual en nuestras comunidades en los Estados Unidos y América Latina.

This blog was not easy to write… Yes, HIV took my motherhood… Back in those times when I was diagnosed, we had no medicine. At least, I didn't have any access to treatment in Colombia, my country where I left from the United States to die as it was a death sentence. I remember having that conversation with my mother and both of us being in agreement that I should never get pregnant, because unfortunately there were not a lot of people living with HIV in my country back then and those children that were being born were dying of complications of AIDS, and I never wanted any child to die because...

¡Momento educacional! María, ¿tu eres una paciente de SIDA? Respuesta: NO ? ¡Somos personas viviendo con VIH! ¡El SIDA significa que tu sistema inmune está destrozado y una persona puede estar muy enfermando! Muchas personas con el virus están llenas de vida y saludables. ? Inclusive soy más fuerte y tengo más energía que muchos de mis herman@s #VIH negativos. Trabajo mucho y sigo con mucha estamina. ? ¡Esto es porque valoramos nuestra salud y nunca queremos volver al diagnóstico de SIDA! ¡Así como tuve Cáncer también! ¡Ahora solo soy una persona viviendo con el VIH simplemente! Así que cuando...

Educational moment! Maria, are you an AIDS patient? Answer: NO ? We are people living with HIV! AIDS means that your immune system has been broken down and a person may be very ill! Many people with #HIV are full of life and living healthy lives. ? Heck, I do more than some of my HIV negative brothers and sisters ? and still have stamina. ? This is because we value our health and we never want to get back to where we were when we got the AIDS diagnosis!! I had it just like I had Cancer!! Now I am just a person living with the condition and that is it! So, when you talk to someone or ask them...

Today marks my 34 year battle with HIV! I never thought I would make it this far! Thank you to all that have helped me and taught me in this journey to be a better human being.

¡Hoy es el aniversario con mi batalla de 34 años con el VIH! ¡Nunca pensé que llegaría a vivir tantos años con esta condición humana!

I want to thank everyone that has wished me a happy birthday! Every year is a miracle to me!

¡Quiero agradecer a todos los que me han deseado un feliz cumpleaños! ¡Cada año es un milagro para mí! Me dieron máximo para vivir hasta los 28 años y estoy orgullosa de cumplir 49 años hoy.