ON 18th MARCH I CLOCKED 1 YEAR SINCE I PUBLICLY DECLARED MY HIV STATUS…
It’s really a good experience to be public with my status so far.
On 18th March 2021, I made a bold move to go public with my status. It all started with this caption;
“Am HIV positive and not ashamed of myself.
ISayNoToStigmatisation
ISayNoToDiscrimination
TeamNoShameBeingHiv+
If you are not infected then you are affected. Together we can. “
From the time I started talking about my status publicly, I have received a lot of messages from different people both negative and positive messages. HIV Stigma and discrimination is REAL. I have experienced it the time I decided to go public. And hey both positive and negative comments and messages they made me strong and made me to realize that people still lack knowledge about HIV, so I won’t stop talking about no matter how bad things you say! Actually you will just waste your time sending me a negative comment or message, I accepted myself. HIV is part of me and there’s nothing you can do about it.
I have improved so much from the time I started talking about my HIV status public, I never used to do public speaking (I was so shy🙈) now ka nsoni kalipwa. I can now talk to people without being shy. I have learnt so much this same period. I learnt how to handle different cases, am able to give mental and emotional support to my friends out there. Not to forget, I have made and met a lot of people who appreciates my work.
The most challenging and fun part shosho media😂😂
Social media has different people, these people can talk all kinds of things 😂I have come to understand that, the most broken people are the ones who will always want to break others. They always find comedy out of things which are hurtful and painful to others. Making fun of serious situations. When mocking someone, it’s not only the victim who is going to be hurt, they might be someone following your comment in the same situation and they can’t handle it. I’ll appreciate if the negative messages are sent directly to me, this way that someone going through the same situation won’t see them and it won’t break them. That way you will protect their mental health. 😊
If you are HIV positive and reading this, please take your medicine, people will always talk and they won’t stop. Those same people talking bad about HIV they’re the same people who will say, why were you not taking your meds when things go bad for you. Don’t listen to people, do things for YOU!!
Team U=U, #MyNameIsNAOMINotHiv.
By NAOMI the Positive Optimist