• HIV/AIDS
  • What is HIV/AIDS?
  • Women are at risk of HIV
  • Preventing HIV infection
  • Get tested for HIV
  • Living with HIV/AIDS
  • Opportunistic infections and other conditions
  • Treatments for HIV/AIDS
  • Research and clinical trials in HIV/AIDS
  • AIDS worldwide
  • Government in action on HIV/AIDS
  • Share your story
• HIV/AIDS in Spanish (en español)

Hello to all my sisters. I am now 35 years old. I first found out I was HIV positive in 2000. This happened after the man I love became extremely sick. At first when I found out, I reacted just like anyone else. I thought my life was over. My mother was saddened by the news. I was scared to tell anyone. I fell hard into depression. I drank, smoked weed and was just slowly killing myself. Until one day, at my lowest point just before death, God whispered in my ear, "Is this really you? I can save you if you let me." From that moment I made a choice. I gave my life to God. Living with God is easy. It is a joyful and wonderful process. The hardest part is living without God. To all women who are living with HIV or have just been tested positive, there is hope. We have a savior that will help all. Today, I live single, waiting for God to provide me a helper, minister to others, and try to do the work of my Lord. Stay strong, read the bible daily, pray, and let Go! Allow God to work in you, and you will see that life is really worth living!!

My name is Korrin. I was just 15 years old when I started to get sick. I could not figure out what was going on -- back and forth to the doctors and nothing. Then they did the test --an HIV test on April 9, 1999. We were called into my doctor’s office, not knowing what was really going on. I was confused. I noticed that there were no kids in the waiting room. No one there????? We were taken into one of the rooms, where a doctor from Wisconsin, my nurse, and my pediatrician were waiting. Sick and confused, I saw the look in my parents eyes, and I started to worry. Then I heard it's not good and the tears started to flow. My dad held me tight and just cried. My doctor lets us know that there were specialists coming to see us and talk to us about HIV/AIDS. Time seemed to stand still, and all I could think was, “I am going to die.” All I can really remember is meeting a nurse and a doctor from Wisconsin. We went home, and life was not the same. We wanted to close and lock our doors and never be seen again! But, I had school and doctor appointments! We tried our best to go on like nothing happened. But when questions started coming, we could not stay quiet about it. I took 36 pills three times a day. When I did return back to school, only half days, I felt like I could trust one person, my best friend Tabby. She kept it to herself and stayed my friend. But our friendship had to end. Teachers kept it quiet. Almost a year went by, and I wanted to get a job. I felt up to it, so I applied at our local IGA grocery store. I landed the job, and I let them know I had HIV because there were going to be times that I would have to take a break and take pills or miss a day of work and also just in case I got hurt. I was excited I got this job! I worked three hours of training that day. They told me I could go home and they would call me on Monday. Well they called, but I was in school. My mom took the phone call for me and was going to write down my schedule. Instead she wrote, "Is it true your daughter has HIV?" I know she was hurt by this. My dad came and picked me up from school, and I asked him if they had called. He told me that they called and it was nothing I did ... and that we would talk about it when we got home. That is when I found out! My parents called who they needed to and we sued them for discrimination. Life continued to go on after that. I started to public speak and educate teens and adults about HIV/AIDS and went to a camp called Camp Heartland, which is now called One Heartland, a place I will never forget. I met many other kids and adults that were going though the same thing as me. It was another home, a place I did not want to leave because I was safe from all the negative people. I met many people on the Internet and became really good friends with this one guy. We talked though emails and chat, phone and letters. He knew what I was going though, and we just clicked. I graduated from high school in 2004. In 2005, I moved to Oklahoma to meet with the man I met on the Internet. I did not know if it was going to work, but I took a chance. I was sick and tired of boys! Feeling sorry for myself, I got to Oklahoma on January 15th and by the 18th, I was married!!! I know you are think “wow!” I was happy. My husband and I had been married for 7months when I found out I was pregnant with our child. We were scared. We talked with the doctors and found out new information. As long as I stayed on my meds, the baby would only have a 4 percent chance of getting HIV. Well I stayed on my meds, and in March 2006, our son David was born. We was 5 pounds 8 ounces and 22 inches long. He was in the NICU for a week. He was put on HIV medicines, just as a precaution. We got to take him home, and 6 weeks later, had another test done on him and it was negative!!!! He is now almost 5 years old and still tests negative! My husband and I have been happily married going on 6 years! That is the story about my HIV with some events taken out. I will say that I had a good childhood growing up, camping and bowling, and grandma’s house and out to the farm and much more! Thank you!

Hello all, well my story is what it is. I am 32, and just a few months ago the results for my HIV test came back positive. My ex and I were supposed to get married. But he beat me one night, and I couldn’t take it anymore. He was a drug user of crack, and I should have known one day he would bring me something. We were together for 5 years. I have 3 kids, and he has 2. We had been through so much with his drugs and our relationship. When we first met, we hit it off well, and when it came down to having sex, I told him no love without the glove. When we got to the point of the no glove part, I told him we were to be in this forever and ever. This is before I found out about the drugs, and when I did find out about the drug usage, we'd already fell in love. So I tried to help him, and he tried seeking help, nothing. The day I found out I was positive was actually on his birthday. Wow, huh? I was sleep in my bed. The clinic called and woke me. I had planned on not answering because I didn’t know the number. They told me I needed to come and discuss my results. My heart immediately started to race because I’ve been tested before and they told me if my test was to be positive, than I would be called. With the tests before, I never got a call. The whole ride over was horrific. “I know I’m HIV positive so just be prepared” is what I kept telling myself, and low and behold, I was positive. I didn’t cry. I didn’t have a clue how I was. I have thought before about him and his drugs and me having an STD, but he didn’t shoot up. So I figured he'd had sex with someone else unprotected. I had a boyfriend [when I got tested], and still have him. At the time, it took me a month before I told him. We didn’t have sex – I made sure of that. But we had had sex unprotected right before I got tested, so I had to tell him. He went with me for the test, so he knew I was waiting for the results. I only went in to the office about a yeast infection. When I told him, I told him we shouldn’t be together. He said that his love for me won’t change, and we are still together today. He and my parents know. I am afraid and don’t know when or how to tell my kids. They are teens. I have yet to tell my siblings. I don’t know how they will feel. I know they will say things like “I told you to leave that dude alone a long time ago.”I have spoken to my ex. He has called. I don’t hate him. I will always love him. I did tell him to get tested and he cried for me and told me if the man I’m with doesn’t want me, he'd take me. Ha! Ha! Ha! He had a good heart, but the drugs ruined him. He told me he'd contact me once he got his results. It’s been two or 3 months now, and I still haven’t heard from him. He doesn’t think he gave it to me. I've slept with two other people before him and tested negative way before he came along. The whole time we were together, I was only with him. He thinks the other guys may be the carrier. But I know it was him. I don’t think much about being HIV positive -- every now and then. I’m not on medicine. I just had lab work done that I’m waiting on. I have no symptoms of anything. I haven’t been ill in a very long time. I mean years and still counting. When I do think about it, I think mainly about my kids. I’m learning that this isn’t a death sentence. I still have to get a grip on that because I was afraid I won’t see my son as a man and my diamonds as women in this world. I am unemployed and it doesn’t help. I’m looking for motivation daily. My man keeps me on my p's and q's about my doctor visits and other things. I’m not sure how long he's going to be around because we have our battles. Shoot, we had battle before this, and this isn’t making things better. I think it will all kick into gear mentally if and once I have to start taking medicine daily. I’m not very scared, but I am scared. I know God is on my side at all times.

I have been living with HIV since 1985. I was one of the first females in my area living with this illness. I never thought I would be alive this long. In 1985 they were giving people 1 year to live with this disease. I have been blessed to have good doctors working with me, and I have been adhering to the medication well. I had three children all who tested negative for the virus. It has not been easy living with this, but I learned to educate myself, build a strong relationship with my doctors, and continue to live a healthy lifestyle.

Hello to all my HIV+ sisters. I will like to tell my story, hoping it will be a help to someone who needs encouragement. I was diagnosed with HIV in 1999, and I'm now 40 years old. I had been celibate for almost three years after giving my life to Jesus Christ. I was so happy with my new life and beautiful 8-year-old daughter the Lord helped me to raise on my own. I had so much going for me. But the single life took its toll, and I began to feel lonely. I constantly dreamed of being married and my daughter having a father figure in her life. Well to make this long story short, I thought I met the man of my dreams and my prayers were answered. I met this man at a church I had attended. He was handsome, nice, and also, come to find out, a minister. We dated a couple of times and had established a relationship, or so I thought. I had found myself so engulfed in him that all logic left. All that I stood for in my faith went right out the window, and we began having a sexual relationship. Dumb and naïve, I allowed myself to have unprotected sex with someone I thought I knew. He asked me to marry him and we were so-called engaged, but something just didn't feel right. I felt in my heart that this man didn't love me. He wasn't being honest and was hiding something. Well, what I'm about to share I'm not at all proud of ... I got pregnant and terminated it. "He didn't want a baby with me," he said. "So hey, you know what we have to do, I’ll take you.” So I went along with it and I wish to this day I could change it. A month after the abortion, I started having flu-like symptoms. I knew in my heart this wasn't normal and shouldn't feel like this. I made a doctor's appointment, and they asked me to take an HIV test. I had been tested twice before I gave my life to Christ and once before my affair with him, and all of them were negative. Well, a week went by and a nurse called me at work to come to the clinic. The tone in her voice seemed strange so I asked her to please tell me the matter over the phone. I already knew in my heart the outcome — I tested positive. My whole world came crashing down. All of these thoughts filled my mind, like God was punishing me for all my sins: fornication, idolatry, and murder. I almost felt like I deserved this death sentence. I worried about my daughter growing up without a mother — how unfair I had been to her. What and how was I going to cope with this? I struggled with my faith, but Jesus was the only one who could help me. I prayed and asked God for forgiveness. The Lord has been my anchor and has helped me through this. Without Him I wouldn't have made it. I was put back on therapy after 10 years, and I'm again so far undetectable. Right now I'm experiencing shingles, and I'm not sure what’s going on. All I know is that God loves me and He is my help. Also, please don't let me leave this out. The Lord blessed my daughter and I with a wonderful, God-fearing, loving, handsome, and spirit-filled man. We’ve been married for 3 years now. God is still in the blessing business! So hold on my sista's. What God has done for me, He'll do for you! KEEP THE FAITH.

In the spring of 2010, I wasn't feeling too good so I went to my doctor. He ran some blood test and sent me to another doctor. After a lot more blood test and a bone marrow test, they did an HIV test. I was fine with all the tests. I didn't think I needed to worry. Boy was I wrong. In October 2010 I got the worst phone call of my life. It was the doctor’s office, and they wanted to see me right away. I knew then it was bad news. Why else did they want to see me right away? I went in, and they told me my HIV test came back positive. They sent me to another doctor, and she just told me I’ve had this for 10 years and didn't even know. All I knew was I didn't feel good. Good luck to you all. I hope you find all you need and want in your life. Good-bye.

HIV is the last thing that I thought would happen to me. I married at 23, did the church thing, had 2 girls, coached softball, and had the typical life.

After 14 years of marriage, my then husband told me he wanted a divorce. My stepmom, who I was exceptionally close to, was dying of lung cancer at the same time. I remember thinking that the divorce was the worst thing that had ever happened to me, and I was angry at my husband for unloading his unhappiness on me at this horrible time. I found out later that my husband had been talking to his old high school girlfriend and had developed at least an emotional attachment to her.

To say the least I was a boring mom who struggled to have a social life because I had been so focused on my kids until this point. So on many weekends that the kids were with their Dad, I sat home alone. I finally started to heal a little and started to go out with friends. I thought I played everything right. But, as many say, alcohol and loneliness don’t make for good decision-making. I met Jay while out, and we went home together. He was 12 years younger and very cute. I was flattered that he found me as attractive as I found him.

We started dating and have been together ever since. He had custody of his two daughters, and we just clicked. Then he started getting sick a lot with a reoccurring rash, bronchitis, etc. He went to doctors several times but it was always bronchitis, or scarlet fever. So, he had been on medication for a while and did not seem better at all. I took him to a local emergency room. The doctor confirmed pneumonia in both lungs and a candidiasis infection in the throat. He said he wanted to test Jay for HIV because these conditions usually do not occur together except when the immune system is compromised. Jay of course said "OK, I don’t have it though." So they did the test. The results took minutes, and they confirmed that he was positive. I was crying like crazy because of fear for him. Then the doctor asked me if we had unprotected sex. It hit me like a ton of bricks, YES WE HAD!!!! I was tested and confirmed as positive, too. The most surreal moment of my life, second to hearing the cancer doctor tell my stepmom, "You are going to die from this cancer. There is no cure."

I guess at that point I kicked into the education stage. I was on the Internet and spent hours finding facts and information about HIV -- could I pass it to my children, etc. The public view is so distorted. I had just told Jay that a CDT count of under 200 was considered AIDS, when a few hours later, the infectious disease doctor came in and told him that his was 44. So we both knew instantly that he had AIDS.

We started seeing our HIV doctor together and go to appointments together. His family knows, but only my sister knows. She asks me how I could not be mad and hate him. My response is that he didn’t know. He is much sicker than I am, and my love is still the same. His count is up to 174 at last count. Mine, however, fell from 474 to 274 in 3 months. I had a BAD allergy to the first medicine I was put on. So we found a regimen that will work for me. I am curious to see how my counts are next month at my appointment. I am a teacher and I want to scream to these teenagers about the risks of getting HIV, but the stigma down in the south is really bad, and I’m not ready to put my kids through that right now.

I am continuing my education to get a BS of health care administration and want to work in a HIV/AIDS field when I graduate next year. The public view needs to be changed, and everyone needs to KNOW it can happen to them.

I met a man who I thought I would spend the rest of my life with. He told me he was HIV positive. I didn't let that stop me from loving him. We got married. I truly thought that he had loved me. I realize that he didn't love me nor himself when he wanted to penetrate me without a rubber during sexual intercourse. How could he love me if he wanted to do that to me, I would ask myself. The inevitable did happen. The condom broke. I went to the health department about three months later and had myself tested. He went with me. I was negative. I have tested about three more times since then and I have always come back negative. I eventually left him. I didn't know that I would run right into another HIV man. He didn't tell me until after we had sex. I was protected. However, the condom broke with him too! I have tested twice since him and I am still coming up negative. I don't know when the day will come and I go and be tested and my results will be positive. I don't anticipate it to be. However, I am practicing celibacy now. I thank God for the positive report so far. I continue to have some lurking in the back of my mind about whether my results will change. However, to date I am still negative and learning how to love myself. Sistahs, keep the faith, God is still in control!

Hello sisters(family). My new life started when I was 23. That’s when I say my life changed for what I thought was for the worst but today I can say for the better. I'm 33 now and this year will be 10 years. At first I gave up on life, literally, I really didn't want to live. I had no children and every time I looked around I saw nothing. I went into a very deep depression, and for about 4 years, I stayed in that dark place. In about '06, I began working at the clinic I was getting case management from. While I was there, I began to learn more about this new life I was living called the HIV life and the more I learned, the better I began to feel. During this time I was a Christian trying to understand this process that I say God allowed me to enter. I was praying because during this time and by being a minister, I didn't know anybody that was a minister and was HIV+. Because I was working in the HIV field, I was given the opportunity to go to a conference that AIDS ALLIANCE does every year. There my life begin to change because I met people from ALL around the state that were Christians and ministers and were LIVING. But my real life change came when I was accepted into AIDS ALLIANCE Consumer Leadership Corp Training Program. I was provoked into accepting, loving, and seeing my real self, not HIV. I learned that I wasn't HIV. I was a beautiful young woman still full of life. I completed that program and by the end of the program, I graduated a new person full of life. I don't have any birth children, but I got the opportunity to adopt an infant, which was my nephew, and today I am a proud mother of a beautiful 2 year old. I now love the woman that I am today, and HIV is not controlling me. I'm controlling it. So I see life through the eyes of an eagle. I can fly and soar as high as I want. My motto: "Life is what you make it. It’s your choice." So to all my surviving sisters, may God bless and keep you, be encouraged and keep loving yourselves, because I love ME!

Greeting, first and foremost I truly want to thank each and every woman that may have shared her story on this site. It takes courage and strength, so I applaud each of you. I am someone's mother, someone's sister, someone's daughter and also someone's friend. I am an African American woman living with HIV for the past 17 years. When I was first diagnosis at 8 weeks pregnant, I wasn't sure what I needed to do, I was completely numb. I also was someone very naive to HIV/AIDS, I just really didn't think it was my issue and something for me to worry about. Today I thank GOD for even being able to know my status. In the beginning it was very painful and hard to deal with, but today I have the power to make a difference in my life and the lives of others. Part of my journey and fighting HIV/AIDS is to give back to my community and advocate and educate others about the impact of HIV/AIDS and the impact that it is having on women. I would like to give a huge thank you shout out to AIDS ALLIANCE CONSUMER LEADERSHIP CORPS TRAINING PROGRAM. This program helped me so much. It has helped me to build character and confidence. The Training leadership of AIDS Alliance has been awesome and am so very grateful to the women of the training program that has groomed and cared for me. My life today is like WOW! I have so much work to do and Ii refuse to let HIV/AIDS keep me in fear and bondage today. Am so on a move I have developed lots of skills and have been able to conduct workshops because of the teachings of this program. If you haven't heard of the Girlfriends Project that is being offered here in Pittsburgh, please check it out on Facebook and read more about the program. Had I not took the risk and gone through the training program through AIDS Alliance, I am not sure I would be at this place in my life. This program has made a huge impact on my life. As a women that is in the fight of her life, I encourage and charge you to think about considering being a part of the consumer leadership corps training program. It's life changing and so worth it. AM BLESS! We all maybe living with a life threatening illness, but we all can make a difference by fighting back. God bless you and hold your head high and keep it moving.