Important note: Information in this article was accurate in 2003. The state of the art may have changed since the publication date.
BBC News - Monday, 17 November, 2003
I was born with Thalassemia Major, a condition which leads to anaemia, in 1971.
I went for an HIV test at a special medical centre for Thalassemic patients in Zafar Avenue, in an affluent part of northern Tehran.
This was in 1997 when HIV test for Thalassemic patients became mandatory in Iran.
I did not receive the result of the tests for two years. After two years of not knowing what was so terribly wrong that was making me feel so poorly, I was hospitalised in 1999.
Badly informed
After three months of going back and forth to the hospital, the doctors told me to go home and die in peace. I had no hard feelings.
Nothing really matters when you are dying. You simply do not care about what's happened. I had no problems with my family. They are cultured people.
At the time I was emotionally involved with a woman, but I ended the relationship when things became too complicated because of my illness.
I thought if I was her parent I would have never given my consent for her to marry someone with HIV.
Iranians are not very well read about HIV and Aids.
A couple of times I talked openly about Aids on public transport just to see what kind of reaction I might get.
Once, as soon as I mentioned that I had Aids the taxi driver pulled over and told me to get out.
Another taxi driver thought I was joking, but after half an hour of explaining he seemed convinced and had no problem.
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