Children, parents, partners, straight and gay.

Stories of HIV-positive families (HIV+). Testimonials taken from the AVERT.org website (England), freely translated by Laura M. Here is a selection of testimonials sent to AVERT.org* by people who have a friend or relative affected by HIV. STD Test stories of men, women and young people (straight and gay) living with AIDS from all over the world.

An anonymous testimony: My boyfriend has had a fever for over a week. Initially, doctors suspected she might have the dengue virus, but there were no skin rashes. She advised him to take an HIV test, and today, she found out that she was positive. I know he regrets what he did in the past, and now he worries about the future, but I won’t leave him alone to face this. We will do it together. Alicia: My relationship with my father has always been tense because he was never there when I was growing up. I finally met him last summer when I discovered he was positive. All these years, I hated him, but now the thought of losing him scares me.

My positive father

When my father was diagnosed with HIV, it was 1995, and he was only 34 years old. He kept it hidden from us for almost 5 years. The day we found out was the saddest of my entire life. I wanted him to be happy, but unfortunately, throughout his life, he had made bad choices: he was still very young when he started smoking weed and then moved on to harder drugs and finally to heroin, which he continued to take for almost all of his life. Childhood, during which he was in and out of prison several times.

The drugs completely took control and left me, my brother and my sister alone. He also began sharing needles and having unprotected sex with women who, in exchange, promised to provide him with drugs or give him money for doses of both. As if having an HIV-positive parent wasn’t enough, a few years later, we discovered that he had also infected my mother. Is sad. I want to appeal: please, ALWAYS use STD precautions. You won’t be the only one to suffer for your mistakes. Net: I wanted to tell my story after reading those of other women who tested positive for HIV. I am a very believer, and when I met this magnificent boy, after years of bad relationships, I thought God had finally sent me my Prince Charming.

My mistake

Once I had unprotected sex with this man, but I felt something was wrong. I prayed to God to protect me. My  HIV test came back negative. He was happy for me, but at the same time, shocked and hurt by his results because he has never been the type of man who sleeps with different women. I always prayed for a good man in my life, and I got him. He will repeat the STD test in a couple of months. I’m sure God will protect us both. Amen! CC.: This is the story of the most adorable of stepbrothers.

When I met him, he was 11 years old. Playful. Fun. He always had to have opposing opinions on politics and religion. However, it is now too late to help him. He never told us how sick he was. Never did he ever ask for help. He was depressed because he didn’t know how to tell his parents who he was. I’m so angry at his parents for not understanding that he needed STD help. The last time I saw him healthy was in May 2008. Shortly after that, he was admitted to the hospital and died within a few months from primary central nervous system lymphoma caused by AIDS.

Not a happy ending

His partner was unable to stay in the room while they disconnected the ventilator. Some people can’t do it. Since that day, I have missed him more than life itself. I would give everything to have him back with me for another couple of years and tell him daily how much I love him. My niece knows him from photos and says his name. She is special, but he will never get to know her. God welcomed him into his arms, and I know he is happy. I want people to know that STDs like HIV and AIDS can touch any family at any time.

Please don’t make the mistake of excluding STD-infected people from your life. One day, you will miss them dearly. He was 34 years old when he died. Your brother is lost without you. Your grandchildren have a groove in their hearts. And your stepsister loves you, and she misses you. I know you can walk now. I know you don’t suffer anymore. We’ll see each other again.