My name is Karen, and I was diagnosed in December 2003. It was like my worst fear. When they told me, I didn't want to believe them, but I was getting sick, and when I finally went into the hospital, they did some tests. I was diagnosed with something called TTP, which is a long name for something that I cannot pronounce. But you can only get that if you are positive. And so, being that I had that, they tested me and it came back as true.
If you don't take it, you die. That's how I feel basically. I have to take my medicine, so there's no forgetting. I do have an alarm clock, and I'll set it for like a week, and I'll set the time. It's time consuming doing it that way, but if you get organized, keep yourself organized, you won't forget.
I like to cook. I think my sister, when she saw me cooking again she knew I was going to be okay. But I like to cook, and I like to be around my friends. My family and my friends; they're a big part. They didn't ostracize me. Basically there's no real trick to it. Just do itÑtake care of yourself.
I would say HIV has made me a stronger individual because it taught me more about being responsible and responsible for my own actions. I can't sit here and blame the other person because I was there, too. It taught me not to hide.
Sometimes I think that I went past this part, but it always gets me when I think about it. I thought that my friends wouldn't want to be around me or anything. I kept quiet for a minute, but then I told my best friends, and they treated me the same. I told my family, they treated me the same. They said, "You're still the same person." I felt different.
Take your medicine. I can't stress thatÑI mean, take your medicine. There's going to be side effects. I'm not going to sugar coat thatÑthere's side effects. This medicine is no jokeÑit's strong. But there's light on the other side of that. Take your medicine because it will save your life. There's no cure, but it'll save your life.
I have a son and a daughter. My son is twenty and my daughter's eighteen. I told them the truth. I was with my sonÑmy son was with me in New York when I got sick. So this kind of gave an answer to why I was getting sick. And they were very receptive. They told me that they still loved me and nothing's changed. Now they're just more overprotective of me.