Shelton, 30
When I Found Out:
I tested positive in April of 1998. I have not let HIV stop me from fulfilling my destiny. I have not let it beat me even after it took my “happily ever after” from me. I did not give up and that means that HIV can be beat.
Ways I am treated differently because I have HIV:
People expect lower standards from me. People are very careful of what they say around me and very fearful of the subject of death in fear that I might break down and start crying or freak out. In general, people walk on egg shells around me.
Who I thought HIV affected before I learned I was positive:
HIV was not real to me. I did not know anyone who was positive or who had died from it. I later learned after getting my own HIV positive status that my dad died of HIV related pneumonia. My becoming infected has made me see that there have always been people around me with HIV, but I was blinded by ignorance.
What I want to tell young people who say HIV can't happen to them:
I want to tell them that ignorance is not a protective shield, but education is.
