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September 8, 2021
I broke my virginity at the age of 21, and by the time I was 23, I had contracted HIV. Memories are still fresh of the day I lost my virginity. I went home shoulders high and all smiley, I felt I had finally become a woman...
September 3, 2021
I’m sharing my journey to motherhood, because it is important to know that in the healthcare system, sometimes, we have to fight for what we want. I was diagnosed with HIV four years ago. I have known for a very long time I wanted to be a mum...
August 16, 2021
Childhood trauma is not something that you wake up, snap a finger, then it’s all gone. These are scenes that stay with you all your life and cause some permanent damage even in adulthood. Growing up in a violent home, I must admit, caused some damage, and its funny how when you’re a child it doesn’t really bother you until you start getting a clear understanding of things; then you realize how bad the situation was, and for my case, is...
August 8, 2021
How do you define a perfect body? Is it curvaceous with a flat tummy? Or is it slender with well-proportioned body parts? I am sure you have a vivid picture of what a perfect body should look like.
August 2, 2021
“Doreen, you are HIV positive and you will start new medication called antiretrovirals (ARVs), that you will take for the rest of your life”. These were my doctor’s words in April 2005. You would think this disclosure was supposed to change my life, my ambitions and expectations, but instead it made me excited because...
June 10, 2021
As a 10 year old, I was sorry for everything, "Moraa, you left the kitchen door open!" "Sorry." Moraa, why are clothes not folded yet?" " Sorry." Did you get milk from Nyagothie's that I pay for?" " Sorry…sorry… sorry...." A litany of apologies for my clumsy, messy, forgetful self who spilled evidence of such all over the house.
June 4, 2021
Finding unconditional love is hard unless it's a match from heaven, that I believe. It gets even harder when you're positive. One needs a lot of courage and strength...
May 31, 2021
The first time I had my period I wasn't sure what to do. I only knew how to wear a pad because always guys had visited our school and taught us how to. In my head I thought it would be easy as they explained it, but experiencing it was something different...
May 20, 2021
The wide and existing misconception that LBQ Women do not face significant HIV-related health threats is misleading. Lesbians, Bisexuals and Queer women are overlooked in HIV research and prevention strategies and programs because of the failure to recognise and appreciate that women’s social and behavioural complexities are not epidemiologically the same.
April 14, 2021
It's been a while since I have written something. I wasn’t sure what to write, or what inspired me lately enough to write about. In trying to get to the heart of what I wanted to write, I thought first about HIV and aging. As a springboard if you will.
March 22, 2021
For the longest time I loved a man and I thought he loved me back for me. I cared, I cried, I shared, -- in short, I gave everything and every part of me, thinking I was his beginning and his end...
December 28, 2020
I got some great news this Fall! The news that a shot has been approved to deliver HIV treatment (antiretroviral therapy) in the United States. A shot that could keep my viral load at undetectable for two months at a time. I am very excited...
December 28, 2020
It’s been a while since I have written anything. Like nearly everyone else on the planet, my year has been monopolized by COVID-19. My creative energy has felt drained. It’s been a mentally challenging year. I know that it has been harder for many others. I’m aware of my privilege. My family and I are healthy, good financially, and we live in Canada. I am thankful. Still, I am struggling. It’s been a year of giving up things...
December 15, 2020
I am not sure that I would love to go back ten years ago. For so many reasons, I am glad with the progress in HIV treatment, but still not glad with how much remains to be done. Ten years ago, at a time almost like this, I was starting my antiretroviral journey; and for the most part of it, it was the start of the toughest and most confusing journey for me...
December 9, 2020
It’s been almost three months since my move to New Orleans and thankfully as I expected, it feels so right being here. It’s said by some that New Orleans has her own kind of Spirit and her own ways of doing things. She calls to those she wants here for her own reasons...