A Girl Like Me (AGLM), a program of The Well Project, is a blog where women ( cis and trans The Well Project serves women across the gender spectrum. (More about gender identity)) can share their experiences and promote understanding of HIV. Millions of women around the globe are living with HIV, yet many feel they are alone in their disease and isolated in their day-to-day experiences. The goals of AGLM are to help normalize HIV; and to create a safe space for women living with HIV from around the world to speak out and share their experiences – with each other, and with those seeking a support community.
Interested in blogging with A Girl Like Me? Fill out an application here!
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It's been almost four years since I contracted HIV. In the back of my mind I've always held onto a little piece of hope. Hope that the man who gave it to me would one day apologize. One day we would cross paths and we would have to have that...
Have you ever wondered what it's like to be transgender? Living with HIV? In the rural South? Each of these issues alone can be challenging. Together, they are my reality—and it's crucial for healthcare providers to acknowledge them all when addressing my needs.
[Content warning: multiple sudden deaths, including a stillbirth]
Yesterday I had my first doctor's appointment for my HIV care in a year. Between the pandemic, remote learning with my daughter, and moving from NYC to upstate, life has been hectic to say the least. Before this I had been going to the same clinic since my diagnosis six...
I can remember meeting you at Walgreens, teaching you to text. You were such a handsome mystery… You took to me. You took me in and showed me a love I would never have imagined existed.
"Ciarra. Just sit your ass down and write."
As I, reflect, I am honored and privileged for the opportunity to be alive today.
Didn't you always know that there were ways to call desserts vegetables? One day I explored ways to use zucchini and found Zucchini Brownies! This was an easy recipe that turned out so yummy, and yes, the three cups of shredded zucchini made the brownies so moist. Zucchini has 0...
I've been living with HIV for (going on) 22 years now. I almost can't believe it, seems like a lifetime ago. I was just 27 when I was lying in a hospital bed dying; my children were just babies. When I was told that I had AIDS I didn't think...
I will be 64 next month and living with HIV for 36 years. I had a lot of illness at the beginning of my diagnosis in 1990 when I was only 39 years old. I thought I'd die soon and never see my son grow into an adult or see...
I got caught up in believing I didn't deserve respect because of my past and dark parts of my identity that I tuck away and try to forget about until it's all I remember. But now I'm learning that self-acceptance is a vital part in determining who you share...
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. My fear was such that...
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...
March 29, 2023
I wanted to send him the link to "Being Positive:Ted Talk." I had the impulse to reach out to an ex-boyfriend after a 7-month breakup. I wanted to share feelings I wasn't able to articulate yet had experienced. Feelings of HIV stigma that I...
I attended the International Workshop on HIV and Women 2023 virtually on February 17-18. I love attending conferences in person, there's nothing like the experience and energy of those in-person meetings, but virtual conferences have their pros as well, like attending the conference in your pajamas, which I did...
It is always a weird feeling when presenting at a conference or workshop. On one hand, I'm excited because of the opportunity to be among people who are passionate like me; and on the other hand, I have that good ole...
My lovely people, today I want to share my opinion on PrEP (Pre Exposure Prophylaxis). I know that PrEP is a pill that prevents a person from getting HIV infection. PrEP is scientifically proven to be effective for women.
Nina Martinez, running-to-40, has been living with HIV since she was six weeks old. After pursuing graduate studies in epidemiology at Emory University, she served as a public health analyst at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Nina was an active clinical research volunteer at the National Institutes...
Hi! My name's Whitney Stott. I'm a recovering addict and trauma survivor from Richmond, VA. After I got my HIV diagnosis in 2021, I spiraled further into the grips of addiction. The deep inward hatred towards myself and the low self-worth I felt was the perfect environment for my...
