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Living with HIV part 2: Sasha’s story
Living with HIV part 2: Sasha’s story
Kaieteur News- Persons living with HIV face many difficulties of coping and accepting this. However, it is one thing contracting the disease from a partner and others contracted through traumatic experiences like rape. Yet Sasha (not her real name) a victim of HIV acquired through rape, bravely shares her story to shed light on the strength and resilience she has demonstrated throughout her HIV journey.
Sasha’s ordeal began at the young age of 12 when she was raped by her stepfather, leading to her contraction of HIV. It wasn’t until she became pregnant in her early 20s that she discovered her HIV-positive status. Recalling her harrowing experience, Sasha revealed, “when I get my first daughter I joined a clinic and that’s when I found out I was HIV positive… I didn’t get it from no partner, I get it from my stepfather, he raped me and my mother passed away with it (HIV) and after she passed away, that’s how I come to learn it.”
After hearing the tragic news, Sasha felt frustrated and wanted to take her own life, saying, “ I go fuh kill myself and cut up myself.. My biggest concern was that my children don’t have it.”
Luckily over the years, all four of her children are HIV free.
Since Sasha’s diagnosis, she admitted it was a rough road for her in coping. She faced discrimination and felt isolated. “It was terrible for me because nobody don’t want me to use anything from them; a cup, a spoon or plate. Not even wearing something from them,” she explained.
Despite facing discrimination and isolation post-diagnosis, Sasha found solace in her HIV support group, where she received invaluable support and guidance. “One of the women is like a mother to me, if I have a problem and I feel it is not nice to me I would call her and she would give me advice,” Sasha explained.
Like most persons living with HIV, Sasha’s treatment journey began when she was introduced to Antiretroviral Therapy (ART), which would become a lifeline. ART works by suppressing the HIV virus, allowing the immune system to heal and protect the body from further damage. But the road to stability was not easy. She said that her first time taking the pills, “I started vomiting and getting sick but eventually I don’t feel pain anymore.”
However, Sasha’s resilience was tested further when her child’s father passed away, with his family blaming her for his death. This added layer of discrimination only fueled Sasha’s determination to overcome her struggles for the sake of her children.
Sasha confessed that she did not cope with her disease well in the beginning. “ It was stressful, I stop drink my tablets, I used to drink and partied but as I continued, things start coming out of my skin and eventually I came off of those bad habits because I have my children to live for,” Sasha explained.
Sasha explained that her kids are her biggest motivation to continue moving forward. “Every time I think about doing something to myself I always remember my kids. Because I say tomorrow I gone, who going to look after my kids like me,” the woman said.
Now as a single mother of four children, she admitted that she is afraid of forming new relationships with other persons.
She stated that she is afraid of spreading the disease to others. Sasha recounted an occasion where she finds it difficult to be accepted. “I had someone who I was dealing with and one day I was sitting in his car and he told me ‘the day I find out that any woman gives me any sick, I would kill she whole family’, and inside of me I was like what? And since then I get this fear inside of me to try again.”
Her story is one of resilience, love, and unwavering strength. Through her journey, Sasha has not only survived but thrived—becoming an inspiration to others facing similar battles. In her own words: “stay strong, you will get through this and seek good treatment, this is not the end, keep pushing.”
In a world that often feels unforgiving, Sasha has overcome a lot and is a shining example of the power of hope, resilience, and love in the face of HIV.
(Living with HIV part 2: Sasha’s story)
(Sasha’s story)
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