World Aids Day is a sad day...

 

...But we must have hope in the future

It’s important to keep raising awareness.

It’s important to challenge stigma and prejudice.

It’s important to try and prevent new transmissions.

 

We must also look forward in that new developments in treatments and testing will encourage more optimism for people living with HIV and more support for those who are still acquiring the virus every day.

I may be one of the 103,700 people currently living with HIV in the UK today but I consider myself to be a very fortunate person.There's not really anything in life I long for, or any way my health has deteriorated to such an extent that I cannot live a ’normal’ life,  but still on every World Aids Day I feel sad.

I don’t ever want to take for granted any of the wonderful people who are doing so much to challenge the sadness because they are much needed, much admired and much loved, but it’s still a sad day. It will always be sad day.

It’s sad that we have lost so many people and continue to lose people unnecessarily.

It’s sad that even though we are all working hard to make sure life carries on; it cannot carry on without restrictions.

It’s sad that every year we have to talk about a rise in new infections.

It’s sad that so many people around the world cannot get medicine.

It’s sad that so many who do have access to meds find it tough to cope with the side effects.

It’s sad because we still view  HIV+ people as if they are ‘plagued’ or morally bankrupt in some way.

It’s sad that we are so worried about ‘coming out’ as HIV positive for fear of rejection and judgement.

It’s sad that lives are changed forever because of a stupid virus.

It’s sad because you just cannot forget about this virus once it gets inside you.

It’s sad that we feel we have let down our loved ones because we contracted HIV.

It’s sad because it dominates so much of your life and makes you unable to understand your body in a rational way.

It’s sad because it messes with your mind and makes you think that everything that happens has relevance to your status.

It’s sad that it can turn you into a self-harming, self-loathing and destructive person.

It’s sad that you can never truly get back to the person you were before you became positive.

It’s sad that the word positive has such a negative connotation.

It’s sad that there are still so many of us who do not feel able to speak up about our lives and how they are affected.

It’s sad that those of us who do speak up feel so often defined by our status either by ourselves or by others.

It’s sad because we still only really talk about this in public one day a year.

It’s sad that I feel sad, but I can still talk about it and I can still raise awareness. 

 

It's important to remember World Aids Day and it's important to remember why.

 

 

 

Photograph above courtesy of Precinct Seager Galvez-Soto