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Maria T. Mejia
Time to Show My Face and Take the Stigma Away
Stigma Within Our Own HIV Community
April 6, 2011 Once again my blog will be about something that happened in my Facebook. I have the name there "MariaHIV." I created that name not because I am HIV positive, but because I wanted to attract people to it. So, by now I have met wonderful people from every continent! Awesome advocates, activists, people who are recently diagnosed and long term survivors like myself, and everything in the middle -- many people who are suicidal and feel like their life is over, some very secretive because they are in the stage of denial, people who don't know what to do because in their country they have no medication ... I mean their dentist doesn't want to see them just cause they have HIV. It has opened me up to the world in so many ways! People from all walks of life -- people that who infected and affected and people that have nothing to do with our community -- just want to learn or support my fight!
HIV and Love
March 18, 2011 Love, how beautiful it is! This is so important for people living with HIV/AIDS ... to have someone who loves you for you and can see past the illness, that is if they are negative ... I am very blessed that after all these years of being positive and thinking way back "I WILL NEVER MARRY," I have been blessed with such a loving and caring partner. She is a key element in my health, believe it or not!
I Am Not an Ugly Scorpion! HIV Ads That Add to the Stigma
March 9, 2011 Well, well, well. Where the hell do I start??? I am going to try to be as nice and sweet as possible! I had to give myself a day to write this.
Ignorance and My Beauty Salon Experience: The Time to Educate Can Happen When You Least Expect!
February 14, 2011 So yeah! I was looking forward to a nice relaxing day! Away from everything ... just a place where they could pamper me ... release some stress. YES! The beauty salon ... yay ... getting my hair done, my hands and feet done. Just time for little old me to get away from daily life ... and of course, my job or mission never has a break.
Here We Go Again: Lab Results and My Fears
February 7, 2011 Here we go again! Yes, that is what I always say to myself. Every 4 to 6 months I go through this s**t !! After so long, I should be used to this, but I am not! I have so much fear and anxiety like 1 week, or even longer, before I go to see my doctor for the results ... I am a very positive person, but I am human and I have my fears! Especially when I see people around me telling me their T cells went down and their viral load is up ... And my worst fear, they have become resistant to the medication that they are used to already! I mean give me, them, all of us, a break! And then again, who am I to freaking complain?! Do I just want to have the perfect life with this illness?? Which would be FINE to being HIV positive! Even taking my medication ... but without all the things that come with it! Like no side effects, no body changes, no toxicity, no resistance, just a medication I can take even if it's for the rest of my life ... but knowing that my immune system will be OK and viral load will be dormant.
Does HIV Cause AIDS? Denialism vs. Pro-ARVs: A "Debate"
January 27, 2011 It started as a simple status on my Facebook page where I just put "FOR ME IT'S VERY HARD!!! TO TAKE HIV MEDS ... IT'S NOT SIMPLE! IT'S NOT EASY ... THEY DO SAVE OUR LIVES BUT HAVE VERY HARSH SIDE EFFECTS!" Well before I knew it, I had a scientist (a good friend), a doctor, a person that said he tested HIV positive and was showing me videos of all these other doctors and scientists that say HIV does not cause AIDS, and that the medication is killing us. I also had a very nice lady from the UK that is also positive along with her husband and also takes her meds.
Why I Want to Show My Face After 20 Years
January 26, 2011 I am ready to show my face for many reasons! After the cycles that we go through with HIV/AIDS ... the denial, realizing I was not dying after all ... came the shame and hiding. I also started with the lies ... that I believe came from my mother trying to protect me, saying tell everyone I have something else (another illness like lupus etc etc)! Well after so much hiding, lying, the SHAME! Something really deep happened before 2011 came. My partner's sister passed away from cancer and this was so terrible :(. I thought to myself, and asked myself, WHY can't I say I have HIV?? Why is it that anyone can say they have cancer or diabetes or any other health condition and I am so scared to disclose openly without having that fear?
HIV/AIDS, Neuropathy, Painkillers (My Personal Hell)
January 21, 2011 Well, where do I start!? I guess pain ... physical and mental. One of the situations that we face with HIV/AIDS is pain ... from neuropathy, aging, etc., etc. I myself was on pain medication -- exactly, Oxycodone. Well, 8 years ago when one of the doctors I saw prescribed it to me, he never told me how addictive it was!!! I wish I knew then what I know now!! I have suffered sometimes more with this little pill than with the HIV/AIDS virus ... that, by the way, I started with half a pill (5 mgs) and ended up with maybe taking 80 mgs a day! This is over an 8-year period as I said. You see, this pill comes in different forms. Names I know: Morphine, roxycodone, oxycodone, oxycontin, codeine, tramal, percodan, etc., etc. Get email notifications every time this blog is updated.  This article was provided by The Well Project. Visit The Well Project's Web site to learn more about their resources and initiatives for women living with HIV. The Well Project shares its content with TheBody.com to ensure all people have access to the highest quality treatment information available. The Well Project receives no advertising revenue from TheBody.com or the advertisers on this site. No advertiser on this site has any editorial input into The Well Project's content.
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Time to Show My Face and Take the Stigma Away  Maria T. Mejia I am a 37-year-old Colombian female who lives in Miami, Florida. I've been positive for 20 years. Although almost all my life I've been in long-term relationships with HIV-negative men, I am happily married to a woman who is wonderful and caring. We have been together almost three years and she is HIV negative. I have no children but we will look into having! I am an activist, a peer educator, a caregiver. I volunteered for the Red Cross in education for the Hispanic HIV community and also the American community. I was a pre- and post-test counselor. I have spoken in many conferences and done a lot of outreach in the community, especially in the schools for prevention and education. It is part of my everyday life to educate everyone I can on this subject. Being HIV positive is nothing to be ashamed about! We are strong women, and we will take away all the stigmas slowly but we have to open up. Read more blogs by women living with HIV/AIDS at "A Girl Like Me"  The Well Project shares its content with TheBody.com to ensure all people have access to the highest quality treatment information available. The Well Project receives no advertising revenue from TheBody.com or the advertisers on this site. No advertiser on this site has any editorial input into The Well Project's content. Subscribe to Maria's Blog:
Recent Posts:
March 15, 2013 - My Soul Is Hurting: A Blog Entry by Maria T. Mejia
January 23, 2013 - Four Strikes Against Me, but I Am Not Out! A Blog Entry by Maria T. Mejia January 4, 2013 - Bilingual Vlog on HIV Vaccine From Spain: A Blog Entry by Maria T. Mejia December 7, 2012 - Life's Ups and Downs: A Blog Entry by Maria T. Mejia November 29, 2012 - World AIDS Day / Día Mundial del SIDA 2012: A Blog Entry by Maria T. Mejia A Brief Disclaimer: The opinions expressed by TheBody.com's bloggers are entirely their own, and do not necessarily reflect the views of TheBody.com itself. |
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