MinerAlert
MinerAlert
The day was the December 1st of 2016, and for Ricardo, it would be the day his life changed forever. He was in the examining room when the doctor came in and told him that all his sexual health tests were negative except for one, he was positive for HIV. He felt his heart drop and was completely speechless. What was he going to say? What questions did should he ask? He didn’t know. He felt an instant wave of depression overwhelm him and the doctor left the room. Having no clue on what to do, Ricardo drove to work, with tears in his eyes and hands that wouldn’t stop shaking.
Ricardo’s depression was difficult to deal with. Many of the people living with HIV experience self-stigma, where they feel like they are to blame for having HIV. In order to get over this, he started to forgive himself slowly, as well as his partner. Yet another hurdle was the most important thing: getting treatment. Fearing judgement and embarrassment, it was difficult to build up the courage to ask for help, but he did. Ricardo began speaking to a specialist and began to realize something that all who test positive do—living with HIV is not the end of the world.
Taking life day by day, Ricardo remains hopeful. He tries to see life in a positive way and uses his spirituality to cope with his depression and his ongoing battle with HIV. He does what he can to inspire himself as well as others going through the same thing. He has one important message, “Love yourself and never give up”.
Avert.org, the organization website where Ricardo posted his blog, has the mission of working at the forefront of HIV and sexual health education. The organization emphasizes the power of the media to increase knowledge and understanding of HIV. The goal is for HIV stigma to be reduced and for people to make informed choices about their sexual health. If you want to read more about Ricardo or other stories, please visit www.avert.org.
Written by: Alessandra Merino
