My name is Sean and I have been living with the daily challenges of full-blown AIDS for more than 16 years now. When I first tested, I had not only found out that I was not only HIV positive but by T-cell definition I had full blown AIDS. I was asymptomatic for four more years, which basically means I was fairly healthy, nothing really bothered me. T-cells dropped down to 3 at one time and I just because I'm kind of a humorous kind of guy I named them Larry, Moe, and Curly.
HIV doesn't own you; you own it. You are not HIV. It is something part of your life that you now have to deal with.
I'm not going to say it's easy. That would be a lie; I would be lying to you. It takes a lot of concerted effort because at the end of the day who's watching out for you but yourself? You know, it is your responsibility to empower yourself, express that self-love and handle business, so you're around for those kids, you're around for your grandchildren, you're around for your friends and your family. It's the only thing that's kept me going.
What I'd like to tell people that have become newly diagnosed or if you're a long-term survivor or wherever you are with your HIV diagnosis: surround yourself with a support system. Reach out to others. Don't isolate yourself because this is way too big for you to handle on your own. You need love and support, and it is your responsibility to seek that out.
My primary care doctor came to me and said "Hey, we have this study going on. It's really, really promising." And I said, "Well, you know, I might not have much time left so why don't I do something to give back that could possibly in the end help someone else." I started this study and it was the magic ticket for me. My health improved, my immune system basically reconstituted itself, so it's functioning normally now. That experience really drove home to me how important it is to be adherent to the medications that you're given.
To be adherent to your medications and what your doctor's orders are for you there are these live stressors what I call environmental stressors. Everyone has basic needs, and that's shelter, food, and in this case, when you're dealing with a chronic illness you also have to take in account that well I need medications, I need transportation to and from appointments and so forth and so on these are just your basic needs. And you have to really focus on getting those needs met so you can focus on what's important, and that's your health because if you don't take the medications what you're doing is you're setting yourself up to fail.