dating, relationships

I recently celebrated my 34th birthday on July 4th and I must say it is on my top five list of favorites. Let me tell you why. Earlier this year I made it a point to do things I enjoy doing and to treat myself better.

I thank God because now there are so many places where they support us—people with HIV. The workshops they offer and the tools they provide, give us a chance to lead a normal life.

Le doy gracias a Dios porque ahorita hay muchos lugares donde nos apoyan por cuestión de la condición. Gracias a los talleres que nos dan, gracias a las herramientas que nos dan, nosotros podemos llevar una vida normal.

Yo siempre estoy educando a los demás. Las personas que deberían saberlo, no lo saben. Crecieron cuando comenzó la epidemia del VIH. Entonces, comparto mi historia porque quiero ayudar a la gente. NECESITAMOS HABLAR SOBRE EL VIH.

I'm constantly educating people. People that should know, don't. They grew up when the HIV epidemic started. So, I share my story because I want to help people. WE NEED TO TALK ABOUT HIV.

After I got my diagnosis, I automatically started to apply what I knew, to ask questions, to better understand. You might not believe it, but we're still so far behind in terms of information.

Automáticamente después de saber mi diagnosis empecé a usar mi conocimiento, a hacer preguntas, a informarme porque, aunque no lo creas, todavía estamos muy atrasados en cuestión de información.

Sentí que me llovían muchísimas cosas encima que eran tan difíciles que podían destruir a una persona. Pero lo superé.

I felt that at one point in my life, there were so many things that were getting tossed at me that were built to just destroy a person. But I got through it.

Discovering my HIV diagnosis was an unexpected turn that reshaped my life's trajectory.