Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Positive since 2013 

My life stood still on February 15, 2013. I will never forget that day. I was sick beyond compare in the ER and wondered what was going on. I was all alone and was dozing off in a cold, little, isolated room when a guy appeared in a white jacket with not much more to say than, “You’re positive.” Then he left and I couldn’t believe it.

I was left alone with my silent screams trying to figure out what to do next. I was only 19. I thought, “This can’t be happening to me. Why me?” I was in total denial and I thought it wasn’t true but the guy in the white jacket had confirmed my birth date. It was official—this was my fate.

I confronted my lover who I believed gave it to me. Sad to say, he said he didn’t care. He left me with no comfort—just the sound of the dial tone and tears running down my face.

I was foolish enough to love with out the glove despite knowing this could happen. I thought I was in love. Turns out I was looking for love in all the wrong places and forgot that it is important to “wrap it up” because HIV has no face.

My biggest challenge is to stay focus for the journey ahead. Knowing I have to grow up faster because of my mistakes.

I fell victim to my lover because I was raped when I was 16. I also thought that I loved that man but I was fooled. I was 16 and he was 24 and he controlled my every move with twisted, sick, mind games. I had no real childhood because he took away my youth. He said he was going to make his mark on me. HIV is what stayed with me.

What three adjectives best describe you?
Free, positive and triumphant

What is your greatest achievement?
My greatest achievement was telling my story so that I could help others.

What is your greatest regret?
My biggest regret was trying to love someone that never truly loved me back.

What keeps you up at night?
The thing that keeps me up at night is knowing that the person who raped me is still out there.

If you could change one thing about living with HIV, what would it be?
I would change how I felt before knowing that I had HIV

What is the best advice you ever received?
Your life isn’t over. Be an example for others who are out there.

What person in the HIV/AIDS community do you most admire?
Myself. I am an activist for the HIV/AIDS community.

What drives you to do what you do?
Knowing that there is someone out there just like me who is going through the same thing (or even worse) and who needs to hear my story for motivation and inspiration.

What is your motto?
Be better than what you think you can be.

If you had to evacuate your house immediately, what is the one thing you would grab on the way out?
I would grab my pills.

If you could be any animal, what would you be? And why?
I would be a white tiger because they are very powerful and majestic-looking creatures.