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Maria T. Mejia
Time to Show My Face and Take the Stigma Away
The Good, the Bad and the Ugly
January 19, 2011 Yes, many may think there is nothing positive in being positive ... but as I have always been taught, and believe, even from something bad or tragic, we can find something good, something to learn from and something that makes us stronger. I am not going to sit here and write that i don't cry sometimes and feel hopeless. I just went through it this week when I got back from my vacation to Disney. I learned that a very close friend and founder of Red Hispana, an organization here in south Florida, had passed.:( Every time this happens, it really shakes me. I know that we are all going to die, but when someone dies from HIV that I have seen with my own eyes was doing well (well, at least the last time I saw them), it really scares me. I get very very scared. You see, having HIV/AIDS is a process. You go through different cycles. I can say I don't feel the same way as I did 10 years ago ... I was healthier and stronger than now. And it's not that I am sick, but I have neuropathy which hurts and it's caused by HIV meds ... one of the reasons also why I take coenzyme Q10 (I talk about it a little in one of my responses in my last blog and give some tips on natural medication).
Maria's Intro
January 13, 2011 I was just turning 18 when I found out I was HIV positive ... I was very young. Back in those days, this was a death sentence. It was around the same time Magic Johnson came out saying he was positive. I was studying in a program in Kentucky named Job Corp and they did HIV testings to all the students that came in new. I remember before all of us kids were getting tested I was answering all the questions correct about HIV (how ironic). To me, this was a disease for prostitutes, drug users or homosexuals so I never thought I would ever be positive. A month passed and I kept on getting slips from the clinic telling me to come in. As I started getting homesick, I went to the clinic, and boom, there I remember an Asian doctor looking at me with eyes of horror ... asking me, why didn't you come sooner? I answered like any teen would: "I don't know." Well he sat me down and he didn't even prepare me! He just said "You have AIDS." 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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