First-Person Stories From HIV-Positive People: June 2011

Tyler: Growing Up Educating People About HIV

Tyler was infected with HIV at birth. Now 20, he's learned how to negotiate dating, disclose his status and answer the questions people ask him the most often.

Since its founding in 2000, The Positive Project has collected more than 100 first-person stories told by people infected or affected by HIV/AIDS. These stories are used to reduce stigma, raise awareness, promote prevention, encourage testing and enhance care.

To learn more about The Positive Project, click here or visit the official Web site to watch more videos. You can also listen to or read our interview with Dr. Tony Miles, co-founder of The Positive Project.

Tyler: Growing Up Educating People About HIV

Tyler was infected with HIV at birth. Now 20, he's learned how to negotiate dating, disclose his status and answer the questions people ask him the most often.

Suzie: "I Was on a Suicide Mission"

Suzie describes herself as having been "on a suicide mission," having injected drugs even though she knew about the risk for HIV. It wasn't until she was incarcerated that she started to recover enough to cope with her status.

Glenn: HIV in Small Towns

Glenn is living with HIV in a very small, rural town. In this interview, he speaks about the ways in which that has affected his care, and the importance of acknowledging that HIV exists outside of major cities.

Video: First-Person Stories About People Starting HIV Treatment

First-Person Stories From HIV-Positive People: April 2011

This article was provided by The Positive Project.

Reader Comments:

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Comment by: Leona Q. (Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada) Thu., Sep. 8, 2011 at 6:32 pm EDT
thank you as an educator it gives me an easy way to teach children. your strong, regarding the stigma/ignorance/lack knowledge you have over come it all

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Comment by: liz (kenya) Tue., Sep. 6, 2011 at 3:46 am EDT
Kudos to Tyler it takes alot of courage and strength to adjust and i would like him to know he is a source of encouragement to teenagers struggling with accepting the condition. God bless you Tyler

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Comment by: estuardo (denver co) Tue., Aug. 23, 2011 at 2:08 pm EDT
tienes videos en espanol ya que me gustaria aprender mas sobre el tema ya que soy nuevo con este diagnostivo grcias

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Comment by: Dave (Durham) Sat., Jul. 23, 2011 at 5:50 pm EDT
Best of luck Glenn....yea the rural comminity can be some pretty shallow narrow minded people...maybe thats why the live there...lol...I wish u the best regardless Dave HIV pos 15 yrs

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Comment by: Ben (London) Thu., Jul. 14, 2011 at 8:03 am EDT
Tyler, you are a true inspiration!

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Comment by: George M-Z (Glenoma, WA) Thu., Jun. 30, 2011 at 11:07 pm EDT
WOW this sure hits home for I too live in a very remote area of Lewis County WA that as of last April over a year now have given up all services for folks like me and still those in large cities the closest 80 miles away still have no room for others what a mess

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Comment by: Mike H (Pittsburgh, PA) Thu., Jun. 30, 2011 at 12:29 pm EDT
Thanks for sharing, Glenn. I serve on the HIV Prevention Community Planning Group in Pennsylvania and we struggle to find a voice in much of our rural communities. We too need to face our fears (stigma) and help physcians to embrace monitoring HIV and gaining knowledge of when it's necessary to refer patients to specialists. Good luck to you. Mike (living with HIV for 26 years)

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