I started Aunty Lou's Hour to: (a) support people living with HIV who feel lonely; and (b) do what I can to reduce stigma associated with HIV.
I'm a single mom of two who was diagnosed with HIV at 19 years old when pregnant with my first child. I struggled with depression and anxiety for years due to my HIV status. I have had family and...
My name is Johana Quesada and I am a stay at home mom, HIV activist, artist and breathwork facilitator based in Dallas, Texas.
Since becoming public with my HIV status just this last fall, I find myself in a place of discovery. What does my life look like without keeping HIV a secret?
Ashley Nicole Richardson is a young African American Woman with an ambition like none other. Ashley has always had a passion for helping those in her community.
I know a lot of people don't respect mental illness, they think it's controllable or all in your head, but I know that that's not the reality. I've struggled with mental health issues of some kind for...
I left home when I was 14 and I started drinking and doing drugs. I always felt like 'less' than other girls. I'd get blood tests since I was sexually active, even if I wasn't having sex all the time. I lived with the fear of sexually transmitted diseases. There were times when I would go back home and my family always greeted me lovingly.
I remember attending USCHA in 2016 and feeling out of place, unsure of my next moves, and feeling defeated in all aspects of my life. I remember being ready to give up and walk away from HIV work FOREVER (please insert Cardi B voice) because I just didn't think I had anything left to offer.
Following our trip to California, I continued mourning my life before HIV. In the midst of the daily funerals I would have for my "old self," I was still waiting, and in some ways hoping (praying) that this was not my reality.
I practice getting in my own way like it's an artform. Sometimes, when things seem to be going really smoothly, I experience this sense of uneasiness like I'm waiting for the next trauma to unravel in front of me like a red carpet.