Georgia: Living With HIV -- Speaker's Straight Talk Encourages Those Infected, Alerts Others

Sheryl Johnson, 55, sold cell phones for a living before being diagnosed, eight years ago, with HIV. "I knew I was going to die, and I figured it was going to be sooner rather than later," she said. After learning of her infection, Johnson quit her sales job and worked with an organization that helps the homeless. Her real desire, however, was to work in HIV/AIDS. Two years ago, she was hired by Atlanta-based AIDS Survival Project; she is the organization's community outreach program manager.

Johnson is an outspoken advocate, candidly telling her story to audiences at churches, corporations, campuses, health clinics and government offices. Recently, she addressed ASP's annual forum for women with HIV.

"If they've ever had any questions that they want to ask of someone who is living with the disease, that's what I'm there for. I consider very few questions too personal to answer," said Johnson. She contracted HIV, she said, from a boyfriend who was secretly involved with men sexually.

"You need to know who it is you're sleeping with," said Johnson, who encourages people to use protection during sex and get tested for HIV. "You need to take responsibility for yourself. If they don't pull out a condom, then you pull out a condom."

"If your instincts tell you something's going on, trust that something is going on. And if you can't get answers from your partner, you need to begin to think about backing away from him," Johnson said.

While Johnson relates her story to many groups, "My target audience of choice is young black women, because the numbers are going up so fast," she said. According to recent CDC research, nearly 72 percent of new female HIV cases are African Americans.

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