HIV had kept me locked in fear for over a decade, constantly worrying about stigma and judgement. But I reminded myself of everything I had learned through yoga, meditation, and mindfulness: Stay present.
Not only do I want these things, I deserve them. So does everyone else living with HIV. Shift the paradigm. Let's talk about pleasure.
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.
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.
Check out The Well Project's A Girl Like Me LIVE!, an interactive, livestreaming series created to advance health and wellness education among women living with and vulnerable to 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.
I know I'm not that old; I'm only 51. I'll be 52 in July, but still I can't help but start thinking about what my legacy will be. How will I be remembered when I'm gone?
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.
Living with HIV, my biggest fear isn't the virus itself; it's the fear of losing control over my own narrative.