I am 21 years old and a 3rd-year university student. Some years back, when I was 15-years-old, I got herpes zoster. I later found out that I had HIV. I am the lastborn in a family of five. My mother died of AIDS in 1996, while my father died of the same in 1998. I have been raised by my elder sister, who has had to do casual jobs to make ends meet because she was only 19 when our last parent left us.
I was devastated when I found out that I was HIV positive. Many questions ran through my mind: Had I been cut with a contaminated razor? I had never been raped and of course I was a virgin. In previous years, I had often considered the possibility that I had contracted the virus from my mother when I would get frequent colds, malaria and mouth ulcers. But I would quickly brush it off saying that, if that was the case, then I should have died before celebrating my 5th birthday.
My elder sister later explained to me that they had had me tested when I was 10 years old and had found out the dreaded truth but they had not known how to tell me since I was so bright in school. Even while testing, I was in a national high school. She then told me that I had contracted the virus during breastfeeding.
I decided to continue my life following the doctor’s advice keenly because, if there was one thing I knew, it was that God never intended for anyone's life to stop at 16 years. I was started on ARVs immediately and, since then, my CD4 count has increased from 212 to 600. I decided to also reach out to other people who needed to be uplifted in spirit by talking to them, especially children born with HIV. These children are constantly being reminded by society that they don't have a future and they need someone who has gone through what they are going through and who is ahead of them so that they can believe otherwise.
In my opinion, life is what you make it to be. There is no single person here on earth who knows the day, hour or second of his/ her death. So, as long as you follow the doctor’s instructions keenly, you are as good as a person not infected with HIV.
I have never contemplated infecting anyone even after I became aware of what sex was and even though am quite attractive. I hope to have a family of my own because I just can’t think of myself dying and leaving no offspring behind. I know that if I am to have to a baby, then by all means I am going to have one, an HIV-negative baby.
I have found meaning in Mother Teresa’s words: I don't have to wait to have a big conference to start changing people's lives and attitudes toward HIV/AIDS. Rather, I can do small things in a great way everyday. Let’s make a change for the better.
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