Rhys

22, M, Gay

I found out I was HIV positive four years ago.

I went out that afternoon to my local. I told a friend who was the manager at the time, and basically anybody sitting at the bar.

Telling my family was a different story. It was tough telling them what I’d been up to, and that I’d contracted the HIV virus. It was a huge shock to their system, too. Dad went straight onto Google that night to learn as much

as he could.  The support I’ve gotten has been amazing. For a long time after I was diagnosed, I didn't know what to think. Some people say, “right, that’s it. I'm dying. Why bother?”, but I always had support.  Having HIV is really hard; some of my friends are on medication and it can be really tough on their system; a lot of the time they can feel rough. It’s isolating, some guys I know have a lot of trouble meeting boyfriends. There’s a lot of stigma still attached to having HIV.  The counsellor I was seeing in the Burnett Centre helped me through a lot. They’ve been able to talk me through my problems, and help me stay on track when it’s gotten hard. They’ve really helped my parents adjust, and showed them how they can support me in what I’m going through.  Finding out I had contracted HIV is the hardest thing that ever happened to me. But, I know I’m not alone.

 

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