Tag Archives: hiv

An Unacceptable Stigma Based on FEAR!

Advocacy, Inspiring Stories, Stigma, Support, Taking a Stand, , , ,

 

People fear what they do not understand. When I first moved to Florida in the ’90s, the HIV stigma was still on the rise; it was heavy and strong. I started looking for a church that I could integrate myself into. I desperately wanted to still be included…to be loved.

When I first found out that I had HIV, the feeling that I would never be loved and accepted had me socially and emotionally paralyzed. Reading my Bible daily reminded me that I needed to surround myself with other believers. Joining a church was my utmost priority. I was happy when I finally found a church where I began to feel comfortable and accepted. But even though we were a church that was like a family, I was still afraid to disclose that I was living with HIV. I listened and watched people’s reactions to certain issues. Many of their responses were not positive. I would sit in my prayer closet and think to myself, “Aren’t we to love God and love people? One of the ten commandments literally states ‘Thou shall not judge!’” I felt so much sadness and anger that those who claim to love God could be so unaccepting to the broken! I thought, “How do some of these people think that they can judge and condemn others!” I poured myself out to God and asked for His peace that surpasses all understanding as I walked through these troubled waters.

After being in the church for about ten months, I got the courage to go to my pastor and ask to speak to him. We sat down and had the conversation I had been secretly dreading. During our discussion, I told my pastor that I was living with HIV. He was compassionate and caring. Although my pastor was not very knowledgeable about HIV/AIDS, he told me that he knew someone else who was living with HIV and connected us with each other.

After almost a year passed, I felt led to ask my pastor about starting a support group. I felt strongly that there were other people who were also having the same empty feeling that I felt with this diagnosis. A support system consisting of others who are facing the same feelings and day-to-day issues could build a greater understanding and draw us closer to God. This was strongly on my heart. The pastor agreed and within a week we had a meeting with the Director of the County Health Department. The director was very hesitant. He was afraid someone would shoot me or maybe even burn down our church! I was absolutely floored! I could not believe what I was hearing! Were people really that scared and cold-hearted to those struggling with this?

Hearing that lit a fire inside of me. I became adamant about creating my support group! I felt led by God in this, regardless of the dangerous repercussions that might come with it. After the group began, I realized I needed to change the name, however, because I could not reveal that it would be a support group for people living with HIV/AIDS. I hesitantly changed the name to something that sounded like an exercise class. I realized that not many people would show up for fear of the stigma surrounding HIV/AIDS. People were literally afraid for their lives! Yes, I said their lives – afraid of being beaten or even killed for having HIV/AIDS! This is what can happen due to a lack of education about this illness! People start to assume and we all know what happens when we assume without the facts. Sadly, I had to close the doors to the support group after just four months.

I am glad I disclosed to my pastor what I was going through back then. I was determined not to let the fear of others stop me from reaching out. I still wanted to support those battling this, and I was determined to educate as many as I could to stop the hate surrounding this stigma. I got involved in other projects surrounding HIV/AIDS and started receiving emotional support at that time. It empowered me to know that I was helping other women and teaching them to embrace and love themselves again. That whole experience made me really realize how badly the world needs to be educated on this illness, including the church. The Bible has many stories of Christ’s love. He never shied away from those with afflictions. He healed the leper, the woman with the issue of blood, and all those with mental, physical, and emotional afflictions. He embraced them in love. If we are to be following His example, we too need to embrace those in all walks of life in love, forgiveness, and mercy.

Believe me when I tell you that in 2021, the sigma is still alive. Our society still needs to learn the facts about HIV/AIDS. As advocates, we must continue to educate the churches. However, we first must continue educating ourselves as advocates on HIV/AIDS. We will always fear what we do not understand. I will leave you with these three final words. Educate! Love! and Empower!

We Need Each Other

Advocacy, Inspiring Stories, Support, , , , , ,

In many of our churches, we sing a popular song entitled, “I Need You to Survive,” by Hezekiah Walker. The lyrics of the song convey a powerful message, “I need you; you need me. We’re all a part of God’s body.” It goes on to say, “You are important to me, I need you to survive.” When I hear the church singing this song, I often wonder if we realize what we are singing, because when it comes to the HIV/AIDS community many of its members feel as though the church does not have a need for them. In fact, the church has made them feel excluded. They feel like the church will survive just fine without them.

HIV/AIDS is running rampant in every community in the United States and around the world. Even though there is no cure as of yet, people living with HIV/AIDS are still able to enjoy a long, healthy life if the right treatment, love, and support are in place – the kind of love and support many of them never receive.

I also find it interesting that the church places a lot of emphasis on loving thy neighbor, yet there are so many people in the HIV/AIDS community who feel they have never received the precious love of a neighbor and especially from the church. In fact, women living with HIV/AIDS tell me it is the people in the church who have hurt them the most, from members in the pews to preachers in the pulpit.

As a pastor, I have always viewed the church as a trusted source in the community for both social support and where healthy coping strategies are developed; a place of refuge, the one place where those who are living with HIV/AIDS should be empowered and supported. But the truth is, in many churches, HIV/AIDS stigma, discrimination, and mistrust are thriving. The church, the very place that should be a safe haven, has become the source of hurt, rejection, and pain for people living with HIV/AIDS.

I must be honest and say, I am not sure whether the hurt, rejection, and pain are due to a lack of knowledge, plain arrogance, or a lack of compassion. Whatever the reason, as a church we must first and foremost, understand that, for a lot of people living or suffering from HIV/AIDS is through no fault of their own. If you stop and think about it, we all suffer from some type of malady, hurt or challenge because the world can be an unfair, unjust place. Secondly, we are to be the hands and feet of Jesus in our communities, meeting the spiritual, social, and economic needs of all people, and not just those we feel comfortable with. And thirdly, the church has a responsibility to serve and support our sisters and brothers living with HIV/AIDS through education and awareness in order to prevent this disease from ravaging our communities and to reduce the stigma and discrimination displayed towards people affected by, and living with, HIV/AIDS.

As a church, it is certainly not our place to judge. We have the opportunity to take care of some people who are hurting and need us, and we need them to survive as part of the body of believers in Christ Jesus. We need to build each other up and recognize that we need each other to be whole.

Guest Contributor
The Rev. Mary L. Mitchell,
Senior Pastor
Bartley Temple United Methodist Church

My Journey: It Could Happen to Anyone

Advocacy, Emotional Health, Inspiring Stories, Lessons Learned, Support, , ,

As a woman living with HIV, I have been through a lot in my life. As someone who was born with the virus, I grew up taking medicine, going to numerous doctor appointments, and getting stuck with needle after needle. This was normal to me, as I never had a life before my HIV diagnosis. Being born with HIV puts you in a different category from those that acquire it later in life.

I was born in the ’80s, at the beginning of the AIDS epidemic, and the virus was still so new that people didn’t really know what it was or how it was transmitted. At that time, they had no medicine to treat it, and I was not expected to live past the age of four years old. My birth mother had her own problems and so almost immediately after I was born, I was taken from her and placed in foster care. Thankfully, I was placed with a foster family that would become my forever home. Growing up, I never knew why I had to go to so many doctor appointments or why I had to take pills every day. Most of the time, I would find ways to not take my medication because it made me feel sick and I felt better without it.

My parents would set out my pills for me each day and I would flush them, throw them away, and do everything with them but take them. I ended up in the hospital for a month with stomach colitis because of the inconsistency with which I took my medication. Seeing me struggling to take the medication and my poor numbers as a result, my parents finally sat me down at the age of 12 and had the family therapist tell me my HIV-positive status. At that time, I did not really have any idea of what HIV was, so I immediately told my two best school friends. I was lucky that they never told anyone, or if they did, I never heard about it or was ever treated any differently. As I grew up and went on to high school, I started becoming aware of how negatively those living with HIV were perceived. I made the decision not to tell another living soul, and I did not. I still was not taking my medication consistently, so I had no trouble hiding that part of it. If I spent the night at a friend’s house, I would not even worry about not taking my medication. My friends would sometimes ask me why I would not donate blood when they were doing it, and I would just tell them it was because I was afraid of needles. I kept quiet about my status for the rest of middle school and all through high school.

To this day, those classmates and friends that I grew up with, still don’t know that I’m a woman living with HIV. This unique perspective is one of the many factors that have shaped me into the person and woman that I am today. I have always been motivated but became even more so after the birth of my son, who is negative. Being a single mother, while also living with HIV, has brought out a strength in me that I did not know existed. I grew up in a stable, loving environment and this is the kind of life I am motivated to give my son.

I recently graduated with my master’s degree in Business, with a focus on Healthcare Management. It was an online-only, 2-year graduate program, and in those two years, there were many times when I wanted to give up and throw in the towel. I stayed up late to work on assignments. I was exhausted, nervous and stressed, etc. But I put my nose to the grindstone and kept pushing forward because I knew, in the end, it would be worth it. I would be one step closer to achieving the goals and dreams I had planned out for my son and myself. During the two years I was in school, I still had to keep up with taking my daily medications, going to my doctor’s appointments, getting labs drawn, and working a full-time job. There were some nights I would be so busy with my son and doing schoolwork, that I would forget to take my medicine. On other nights, I simply wanted a break from swallowing pills, so I would make the conscious decision not to take them at all. During all this time, my viral load never increased beyond undetectable, but my CD4 count did drop some, which I attribute to the constant stress and exhaustion of it all.

Being a mother, single or otherwise, is definitely stressful in its own right. But, when you add school, living with HIV, making sure to eat healthily and exercise regularly, working, and so on, to it, everything becomes one big melting pot that often threatens to boil over. I have always found ways to push through the hard times because I have had no other choice. I have a little person depending solely on me to make the right decisions. I am thankful and appreciative to have the support and generosity of great friends and family, which is not something that a lot of people have. Their love, empowerment, and inspiration, it helps motivate me more to live a life that is successful, rewarding, and courageous.

– Crittlecakes

A more convenient, monthly treatment for HIV cleared a key hurdle

Action Tips, Physical Health, Resources, , ,

Once-a-month injection of antiretrovirals works just as well as a daily pill regimen, trials show

In two clinical trials, a monthly injection of antiretroviral drugs was shown to be just as effective as a daily pill regimen at controlling HIV.
SERGII PETRUK/ISTOCK /GETTY IMAGES PLUS

By Jonathan Lambert
MARCH 4, 2020 AT 5:00 PM

People living with HIV are one step closer to having a once-a-month treatment alternative to downing two or more pills a day.

There is no cure for HIV, the virus that causes AIDS. But combination antiretroviral therapy, or ART, can effectively halt the replication of the virus, nearly eliminating it from the bloodstream and prolonging life expectancy (SN: 11/15/19). For the therapy to work, though, people must stick to a daily regimen of two or more pills, which experts say can be a challenge for many.

Now, the results of two phase III clinical trials suggest that a monthly shot of antiretroviral drugs works just as well as daily pills, researchers report March 4 in two studies in the New England Journal of Medicine. If approved by regulators, the therapy could be a more convenient treatment for the estimated 1.1 million people living with HIV in the United States.

“From a patient perspective, these results are very positive,” says Elizabeth Tolley, an epidemiologist at FHI 360, a public health nonprofit based… click here to read more.

You are Invited to be a part of Let’s Talk About It

Resources,

We meet monthly as peers to talk, share experiences, and just to educate each other. We strengthen our skills as we reach out to make the road easier for others. All of the LTAI women are dealing with the same issues and we talk about how to overcome barriers and obstacles in life.

We develop posters, magazines and participate in activities to share our stories, so that others can learn from our experiences. 

What can women gain from joining LTAI?
They get to know how other people relate to us, they can relate to each other and they can understand each other. 

What skills can you learn at LTAI?
We talk about our eating habits, how to best take our meds, how we can deal with life itself. We learn how to love one another and how to reach out to each other.

Can you give an example of how LTAI has been helpful for you?
I have learned how to not be so aggressive; I have a lot of anger. I have learned how to call on other people for ideas about how to handle a situation or certain resources that might help me.

I think more women need to get involved in LTAI because we get to express our feelings, we get to talk about anything and everything that we want to talk about… and it does not go any further than our group. We don’t have anyone pre-judging us because of our illness.
We can make a difference in the lives of other women!!

By  “L. H.”

From HIV/ AIDS to COVID-19

Resources, ,

This pandemic brings me back 37 plus years to the dark days of HIV. As a woman living with HIV little was known back then, as little is known about the coronavirus, except we all know how we can stay safe from contracting this deadly virus! The scientists are making great strides on a vaccine.

We must all do our part by keeping safe and educating as many people as possible.
So, sisters, let’s do this ! We are all in this together and much better equipped with knowledge.
“Again, stay in and educate”

Read more…

Interim Guidance for COVID-19 and Persons with HIV

Knowledge Buster, Physical Health, Resources, Support, ,

Last Updated: March 20, 2020; Last Reviewed: March 20, 2020

This interim guidance reviews special considerations for persons with HIV and their health care providers in the United States regarding COVID-19. Information and data on COVID-19 are rapidly evolving. This guidance includes general information to consider. Clinicians should refer to updated sources for more specific recommendations regarding COVID-19.

Click here to continue reading.

Moving Ahead

Advocacy, Awareness Days, HIV Testing, Inspiring Stories, Knowledge Buster, , ,

Today is National Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day, and as a community, I think it is very important that we understand the reason why we have to fight so hard to end the epidemic again HIV/AIDS.

As people of color, we are already fighting against the injustice of racial barriers, which increases the stigma of those living with HIV.

We wanted to share this straight-to-the-point blog by Venita Ray, a woman who has touched many lives. Click the image below to visit her blog. We hope that you will find the strength to speak out and advocate for yourself, your sisterhood and your community.  We want you to know that you are not alone and if you feel that you are in need of support, we are here for you. You can reach us at letstalk@rwhp.org.

How Ironic-Part 2

Inspiring Stories, ,

When I was leaving New York Back in 1991 I was also planning my funeral. I wanted to spend the time I had left enjoying my son. I had been diagnosed with HIV in 1983. Now that was one of the hardest things for me to face- knowing I had to leave him orphaned. No amount of therapy could take that deep hurt from my heart.

So, I learned to cherish every moment I had.  Because back then, no one knew what the lifespan was for someone with HIV.  I would hear from doctors different things like “you could live another three to five years.” Then another doctor – I remember her telling me the magic number is now “seven years.”

It’s been thirty-two years since my diagnosis and I am still going strong. I am healthy emotionally, physically and spiritually, And, I must say I have become more sassy in my older years. Ironic to say, but I give all the credit to having the big V. Not the best way to change your life, but for me it was, that was my blessing in disguise. I am still learning of life’s endless possibilities. I no longer need to just survive – I can actually have a life.

I had the privilege to help raise my three granddaughters, which for me, there is no greater pleasure in life. I thought being a mother was, but when you are blessed with grandchildren it takes you to a whole other level.

Who knew I would be still here today so eager to make a difference in this life, this is some of what paying it forward means to me.

What are your thoughts? Let us hear from you…