This past March marked 8 years since my diagnosis. This year I had the idea to try and get some positive and powerful women to walk with me. On Sunday, May 21st, I invite any of you ladies who live in the New York area or are close by and want to travel, to do the NYC AIDS Walk with me.
Escalice's blog
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Who told God I was that tough? I'm really not though. I've been through a lot of stuff in my life. A lot I have yet to share. Right now I'm going through one of the toughest battles I've endured.
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On Sunday May 15th I had the absolute pleasure of being able to attend the first in-person AIDS Walk in New York City since Covid first began. I'm so glad it's back.
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After putting it off for the last couple of years because of Covid and moving, and my anxiety around doctors and fearing bad news, I have finally begun catching up with my well appointments. I ALWAYS make my HIV care appointments and am 100% adherent to my meds, but I have fallen behind with other aspects of my health. Last week I had my first Pap smear in over two years. I loathe Pap smears. When I was around 19 or 20 I had received an abnormal Pap smear and was told I had cervical dysplasia. That result led to me having a Pap smear done every 6 months for 2 years or so along with biopsies...
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I've experienced grief a few times throughout my life for different reasons. I was not prepared for the grief I would feel after my grandfather died
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Yesterday I had my first doctor's appointment for my HIV care in a year. Between the pandemic, remote learning with my daughter, and moving from NYC to upstate, life has been hectic to say the least. Before this I had been going to the same clinic since my diagnosis six years ago. It was affiliated with the local hospital and overall was not the best. I went through three doctors in my first three years there, the last being my doctor up until recently. Most times I went there, the wait for my appointment would be an hour long or so (even when I was just going back for my results). The nurses...
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I recently decided to get the Covid vaccine. When it first started being administered I decided I was going to wait to see what happened to everyone else who got it. I didn't trust it. I felt it was rushed, it was still being tested (basically on us). I was scared. I was scared of what might happen to me if I were to get this vaccine. I'm not one to take medicine like that. I don't even get the flu shot. A lot of people will say, "well you should be scared to get Covid". I did have Covid; my whole family did. We started showing symptoms the week after the entire world went into lockdown. Third...
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I've spoken briefly about finding out I was living with HIV when I got pregnant with my daughter, but I haven't really spoken on the entire experience. Although I have come to terms with my status and even embrace it, thinking back to that time can still be painful. I know full and well I did not receive the full support or services I should have from my medical care provider. I think of how different and probably how much more at peace I could have been, especially while being pregnant, had I received the support I needed early on. I want to share my experience in hopes that it can help other...
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Yesterday as we celebrated World AIDS Day, I reflected a little bit on my own journey of having HIV living with me. I have been HIV positive for 5 years. I have been undetectable since I began treatment and have been fortunate enough to be healthy and thriving. I know very well how lucky I am to have been diagnosed when I was. To be diagnosed when there is so much knowledge about HIV, when treatment is proven to work and guarantees us a longer healthier life, and when now we know that U=U and and we cannot transmit the virus to those we care about. I'm very lucky. I always think about those...
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It's been a while since I've written anything. I've just been so caught up with life these last four months, just like I'm sure you all have been as well. I count my blessings every day knowing that in these difficult and uncertain times there are so many people who have no income, no food, no sense of security. I have a home, I have food, I have my family. The mental and emotional toll is most likely all the same across the board. Being a mother throughout this all has been a challenge all its own. My daughter is four years old and had her first year of school, Pre-K, cut short. I watched her...