HIV empowered me - and now I am free. When I first found out I had HIV - I believed my life was over. I come from a catholic upbringing, and even though I no longer practice, those feelings of guilt and shame still lingered.
My parents are from the Caribbean. I was born and brought up in London, UK. I found the love of my life when I was 49 and I am engaged to be married. I have been living with HIV for over 17 years.
The Well Project interviews Samantha Rose Montemayor, Community Advisory Board member and A Girl Like Me blogger, for our "Spotlight: Women Making a Difference" series.
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.
When I was about 4 or 5 years old, some nights I used to be awakened by a mysterious swaying of the curtains in my room. Immediately, I would start seeing shapes that scared me a lot: deformed faces, threatening animals.
When I was diagnosed with HIV almost 17 years ago I dove head first into activism. I was angry and I needed something to do with that anger or I would have turned it onto myself. What I didn't realize is that I had already done that and what I did not know is that I would let that anger build for almost two decades before I accepted it.
I've learned a sex conversation before sexual intimacy is so much more than my HIV status. If a man isn't open to STD testing and condoms in the initial phase of dating, they are in denial about sexual intimacy responsibility and not boyfriend material.
My name is Johana Quesada and I am a stay at home mom, HIV activist, artist and breathwork facilitator based in Dallas, Texas.
As part of a collaboration with our longtime partner organization Christie's Place, The Well Project will be sharing stories from their book "Healing Hope: A woven tapestry of strength and solace" as...
My lovely people, January is my favourite month. Not only because it is the beginning of a New year where we can start afresh, we also still have the whole year ahead to work on whatever we set our mind to.