Since becoming public with my HIV status just this last fall, I find myself in a place of discovery. What does my life look like without keeping HIV a secret?
The Association of Nurses in AIDS Care (ANAC) conference was held in Tampa, FL in November of this year. The theme for 2022 was EQUITY, COMPASSION & SCIENCE - KEYS TO ENDING THE EPIDEMIC. Tampa was a controversial place to hold this meeting because of the political climate.
I know a lot of people don't respect mental illness, they think it's controllable or all in your head, but I know that that's not the reality. I've struggled with mental health issues of some kind for...
I don't consider myself old at age 62 and I am aware that my decades are lessening. With family health crises and deaths in my circle of friends this season, the epiphany that life could change in an instant triggered an aspiration to live closer and be a part of my son's adult life.
I left home when I was 14 and I started drinking and doing drugs. I always felt like 'less' than other girls. I'd get blood tests since I was sexually active, even if I wasn't having sex all the time. I lived with the fear of sexually transmitted diseases. There were times when I would go back home and my family always greeted me lovingly.
I remember attending USCHA in 2016 and feeling out of place, unsure of my next moves, and feeling defeated in all aspects of my life. I remember being ready to give up and walk away from HIV work FOREVER (please insert Cardi B voice) because I just didn't think I had anything left to offer.
Following our trip to California, I continued mourning my life before HIV. In the midst of the daily funerals I would have for my "old self," I was still waiting, and in some ways hoping (praying) that this was not my reality.
I practice getting in my own way like it's an artform. Sometimes, when things seem to be going really smoothly, I experience this sense of uneasiness like I'm waiting for the next trauma to unravel in front of me like a red carpet.
Hello blog world, it's been a while. I've missed you guys. Sometimes I don't know the words to say so I don't write anything down.
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.