Our Stories
Real people living with HIV or Hepatitis C

 

Robin, tested HIV+ in 1989, tested HCV+ in 2001

Robin is a single mother of 3 who lives in the Sierra Foothills of California.  She decided to get tested for HIV in 1989, after seeing many of the people around her becoming ill and dying of AIDS.  At the time she took the HIV test, she was living in the bay area and was still using heroin.  Her oldest daughter was just 3 months old.

 

When she first learned that she had HIV, she went into a period of denial and heavy drug use.  She moved to Indiana, to the same county where Ryan White had lived.  She and her children were shunned by many of the people there, including those in the medical community.  She was fired from her job after her employer learned that she had HIV, and when she was pregnant with her youngest child a doctor refused to treat or even touch her.  After that incident she hooked up with the local AIDS Service Organization.  They helped her connect with a doctor who put her on AZT to help protect her unborn baby from becoming infected.  Robin said that “It was the first time that I was treated like a human being”.

 

Robin has been clean and sober since September 26, 2002 and her life has become much more positive.  Her attitude has changed and she has found a voice that she uses to help educate others about HIV and encourages those at risk to get tested.  Robin says she knows many people with HIV, and many more with Hepatitis C.  She thinks that the stigma is worse for those with HIV, because many people still think of AIDS as a gay mans disease.  “Many people I know who have Hepatitis C have never been tested for HIV, even though the risks are the same”. 

 

Like many people with HIV, Robin has good days and bad days.  On a typical day when she feels well, Robin works out, gets the kids up, cleans house, remembers to take her meds on time, and does service work for the local chapter of Narcotics Anonymous.  On days when she is feeling bad she may not be able to get out of bed.  The hardest thing is “allowing myself to rest because I feel guilty about not being able to do things that I think I should be doing.” 

 

In addition to taking antiviral medications, Robin does daily meditations to alleviate pain from degenerative disc disease.  “Meditating also helps me cope emotionally, and besides, I can’t take most pain medications because of my addiction.”  Robin goes to Curves and tries to work out 3 days a week, attends N.A. meetings, and likes to listen to music.  Robin’s advice for other people living with HIV or HCV is to “get a support group and try to keep a positive attitude”.

 

When I asked Robin about her hopes and dreams, she replied that she “Hopes to live long enough to raise her children”, who are now aged 9 – 15.  All of her children have tested negative for HIV, and she hopes that a vaccine for HIV will be found in her children’s lifetime.  She would also like to touch as many people as possible, especially women.  “If I can reach one woman and help her avoid some of the pain that I’ve experienced, then it will be worth it”. 

 

Robin is less optimistic about preventing new HIV infections.  She fears that AIDS education in the U.S. has been ineffective.  “Many of my daughter’s friends are having unprotected sex.  They think it can’t happen to them.” 

 

Besides her experiences with HIV and Hepatitis C, Robin wants people to know that she is a very independent woman, a mother, an active community member, and a voice for the underdog.

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