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 who came before me and had this virus living with them when there were no answers available and people were being lost left and right. I have met and worked with long term survivors and I am always blown away by their strength and their hearts. We can only imagine what they must have experienced for years and not just in terms of the virus itself but the stigma, fear, and panic that went along with it. On this day, it is them who should be celebrated and forever remembered.
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