Intro – CupCake

I'm CupCake, a 45-year-old woman born on Guam and now living in Tulsa, Oklahoma. I was diagnosed with HIV/AIDS in July 2018, following a long health battle that ended with me on life support. That experience cracked my world wide open—but it also woke me up to the power of survival, softness, and speaking my truth. For years, stigma told me to stay small. But I've learned that my story matters, and that healing doesn't just happen in silence—it blooms when we dare to be seen.

I want to offer what I spent so long looking for: honesty, humor, softness, strength, and community.

Today, I'm a full-time grandparent, a poet, a storyteller, and a woman reclaiming every piece of herself. I write to educate, uplift, and connect. I live for messy art projects, deep belly laughs, the magic of the outdoors, and the unconditional love of my pets—who honestly think they run the house. And maybe they do.

Why CupCake wants to be part of A Girl Like Me: For a long time, I believed my story wasn't worth sharing.

After being diagnosed with HIV/AIDS in 2018—following a health crisis that left me on life support—I wasn't just fighting to survive physically. I was battling a deep sense of shame. Stigma took root in me before I could even begin to process what had happened. I didn't just feel different; I felt invisible.

I found The Well Project and A Girl Like Me not long after that. I read other women's stories—raw, brave, beautiful—and I felt seen in a way I hadn't before. But when it came time to share my own voice, I hesitated. I convinced myself I wasn't strong enough, smart enough, or "together" enough to belong here.

The truth is, I didn't need to be perfect. I just needed to be real.

I've learned that my story matters, and that healing doesn't just happen in silence—it blooms when we dare to be seen.

I want to be part of A Girl Like Me because I know how isolating this journey can feel—especially when you don't see yourself in the conversation. I want to help change that. I want to offer what I spent so long looking for: honesty, humor, softness, strength, and community.

I'm a 45-year-old grandparent, poet, survivor, and creative. I live with HIV, PCOS, and chronic illness. I love my pets like they're my children. I craft, paint, cry, laugh way too loud, and believe in starting over as many times as it takes. And I believe every part of me—every part of us—is worth showing up for.

Being part of A Girl Like Me isn't just about telling my story. It's about showing someone else what's possible when we finally decide to stop hiding.

We are never too broken, too late, or too far gone. We are exactly what someone else needs to see.

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