Important note: Information in this article was accurate in 2005. The state of the art may have changed since the publication date.I am a Woman! A positive woman!
A woman who looks at life and finds joy at the Sunrise.
A woman who hears her children's voices and is grateful for one more Day.
A woman who speaks to her friends, only to reinforce the importance of Unity.
A woman who looks up to notice the Glory of a Day, the Blue of the Sky, the Song of the Birds, the Color of the World.
Being Positive has made me just that!
by Nancy S.
I was thinking that there are many things that you should know because you are growing. I don't want to keep any secrets or anything from you. You are growing and I would like to have good communication with you. I want to talk about HIV. This is a disease that many people are afraid off because they don't know about it. This is a disease that is transmitted by having sex without using a condom to protect yourself from sexually transmitted diseases and by sharing needles with people that are HIV Positive and from mother to her baby when the mother is infected but there is only a small probability for the baby to become infected. The only body fluids that can infect a person are blood; semen, vaginal fluids and breast milk only if
the mother is infected. In the 1980's some people got infected by blood transfusions because in the hospitals the blood was not checked for HIV or other infections. People did not know that they were infected and gave their blood and got many people infected that way.
I would like to educate you because I don't want nothing like this happen to you. I want you to know that it's not only HIV but there are many other diseases you can get when you don't protect yourself. You are growing and any mistake that you make can cost you a lot. That's why you need to keep your eyes wide open and if you have any questions please ask me or our brother. Don't be ashamed to ask anything, if we don't know the answer we will look together for it.
What I am trying to tell you is that I already went through a bad experience because I did not take care of myself and I had no one to educate me on safer sex. You may know that I'm working for an HIV agency and I'm learning a lot from it. If I knew then what I know today, I would have not put myself at risk of anything that would hurt my health and I would have done things differently. I'm telling you this because I made a mistake that changed my life. I trusted the wrong person and now I'm HIV-positive. I will do anything in my power to prevent this from happening to you. I want you to know that I'm taking very good care of my health and not to worry about me.
Anonymous
Because God is love, the most important lesson he wants us to learn on earth is how to love. Learning to love unselfishly is not an easy task. It runs counter to our self-centered nature. That is why we're given a lifetime to learn it.
God wants us to be in regular, close fellowship with others, to develop the skill of loving. Love cannot be learned in isolation. We have to be around people, irritating, imperfect, frustrating people. Life without love is really worthless. God says relationships are what life is all about.
Love leaves a legacy. How we treat other people not our wealth or accomplishments is the most important and enduring impact we can leave on earth. It's not what you do, but how much love you put into it that matters. Relationships take time and effort, and the best way to spell love is T-I-M-E.
He deliberately chose your race, the color of your skin, your hair and every other feature. He also determined the natural talents you would possess and the uniqueness of your personality. Because God made you for a reason, he also decided when you would be born and how long you would live.
Most amazing, God decided how you would be born. He never does anything accidentally, and he never makes mistakes. Every plant and every animal was planned and every person was designed with a "purpose in mind."
Calling All WritersForWomen Alive Coalition Newsletter We're Looking for material from people who are HIV-Positive Alive Poetry Women Alive Coalition Contact Alicia Share Your Stories! |
20050401
WO2005-0409
Copyright © 2005 - Women Alive Reproduced with permission of Women Alive, 1566 S. Burnside Ave., Mid-City Los Angeles, CA 90019; Phone (323) 965-1564, FAX: (323) 965-9886. You need permission from Women Alive to make more than one copy of any article in this section.
AEGiS is a 501(c)3, not-for-profit, tax-exempt, educational corporation. AEGiS is made possible through unrestricted grants from Boehringer Ingelheim, Bridgestone/Firestone Charitable Trust, Bristol-Myers Squibb Company, Elton John AIDS Foundation, John M. Lloyd Foundation, the National Library of Medicine, Roche and Trimeris, and donations from users like you.
AEGiS presents published material, reprinted with permission and neither endorses nor opposes any material. All information contained on this website, including information relating to health conditions, products, and treatments, is for informational purposes only. It is not meant to be a substitute for the advice provided by your own physician or other medical professionals. Always discuss treatment options with a doctor who specializes in treating HIV. 
Copyright ©1985, 2005. ÆGiS. All materials appearing on ÆGiS are protected by copyright as a collective work or compilation under U.S. copyright and other laws and are the property of ÆGIS, or the party credited as the provider of the content.