Ready to Start ForgivingMy mother had a stroke on the morning of my 13th birthday. My father found her on the bathroom floor where she had fallen. I was the youngest child and...reactions2comments
How Anger Took Over My Life and How I Took My Life BackI don’t remember the first time I allowed my anger to take over. But there have been too many instances not to do something about it over the years. Allowing...reactions1comment
HIV Changed My Thoughts on Nutrition and How I EatI don’t think I gave my eating habits any thought until I received my HIV test results in 1994. I was 29 years old and had dabbled in "healthy food"...reactions3comments
What Are the Little Routines That Keep Me Going?Recently, I was confronted with a startling fact. During my annual physical, my doctor referred to me as 'someone in your age group.' It took me a moment to process...reactionscomments
When Disclosure is a Lifelong Experience, What Do You Do?My viral load has been undetectable for 20 years. This has kept opportunistic infections at bay, leaving me to deal with other challenges to my health. Like the time I...reactions6comments
Being HIV+ is Not a Crime, and That's Why I'm Speaking Out!I learned that being HIV+ was a crime in 1989. It was during a training session for a demonstration I participated in to protest the lack of and high cost...reactions3comments
How I Spent Two Months Being ImmobilizedThe combination of an undetectable HIV viral load and avoiding serious injury to my body over the years led me to a false sense of invulnerability. That illusion was shattered...reactions12comments
From Kaposi Sarcoma to High Blood PressureIt started with a bruise on my thigh. I thought I had bumped into something, except it didn’t go away. I could run my finger over and feel the texture...reactions2comments
My Life With HIV and the BlahsDespite the gratitude journal and the affirmations posted in my bathroom, I sometimes feel uninspired about life for lengthy periods. Long-term living with HIV can be very repetitive. The daily...reactions6comments
My Anxiety was Killing Me, So I Took 3 Deep BreathsI knew something was wrong when I cried every time I put my shoes on in the morning. It wasn't my feet that were hurting; it was everything else. Anxiety...reactions3comments
My Tips on Surviving the Holidays and Living With HIVIt doesn't take a lot for me to get excited about the holidays. I always love the feeling in the air with the festive decorations, delicious food, and holiday music...reactions2comments
HIV and Happy: How I Found That Feeling AgainLong-term survival requires you to navigate the difficulties of the chronic condition landscape. The overwhelming circumstances of living with HIV can cast a shadow that is hard to pierce. One...reactions5comments
HIV and the Holidays - What are you doing to get through them?It's the holiday season again, and I know it always causes stress in my life. I work in food retail, and the angry customers and long hours take a toll...reactions12replies
Loneliness Is a Killer: Here's How I Address ItAfter the quarantine of the Covid pandemic, I wasn't surprised to learn that loneliness is a negative factor in treatment adherence. The International AIDS conference was held in person and...reactions6comments
An HIV+ Gay Man's Thoughts for Gay Men's HIV Awareness DayMy identity as a gay man has always been intertwined with HIV. Before I came out, I sat in my parent’s living room watching news reports about GRID (Gay Related...reactions2comments
How I Avoid HIV Burnout as a Long-Term SurvivorI recently found an article about HIV burnout at my doctor’s office. I only had time to read the first sentence before the nurse called out my name, and I...reactions1comment
The Lessons Grief Taught MeRecently my time as a caregiver for our two dogs came to an end. After 2 years of midnight medicine doses and endless hours of helping them move around, we...reactions5comments
How I Outlasted My DoctorEarlier this year my doctor said something that I hoped I would never hear. “I’ve decided to retire.” My reaction was immediate and intense. For 15 years we had been...reactions2comments
