In Honor of HIV and Aging Awareness Day

Some think HIV is just a chronic manageable disease with a one-pill-a-day solution. Well it's not like that for all of us, especially long term survivors aging with HIV. I cannot do the one-pill-a-day regimen due to resistance. HIV treatment works well and keeps us undetectable and our immune systems healthier, that is true. But we have to live every day with the long term side effects of the early meds, depression, anxiety, isolation, memory loss and PTSD from the hell many of have been through. I know any LTS can relate to what I'm saying. I'm grateful to be aging with HIV because the alternative - well, you know - is much worse. Please know that if you've been living with HIV for a minute and were able to get on the much better meds available now, you are very fortunate, because countless lives have been taken by AIDS complications and now from co-morbidities. I'm very grateful that I'm still here after 34 years to be able to share this. But this is not always so easy. I'm grateful also that my life has much purpose.