Deondre and his mother Kathy got educated about HIV after his diagnosis. Because he is on treatment, Deondre today is undetectable – which means the amount of virus in the blood is so low that it can’t be detected by standard lab tests.
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A person with HIV who is in ongoing care can live a normal lifespan. In addition to improving health, HIV treatment also prevents the spread of the virus to others.
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Transcript
Deondre: The doctor first said, “I regret to inform you but, you have HIV.” My mama and my dad both drove up, we met at the doctor’s office together, and they were there from the very beginning.
Kathy: I didn’t know that much about it, I was very afraid. We went to the doctor, he explained to me, ‘”It’s not as bad as you think it is.” As long as he takes his medication every day. He will be fine. And his doctor even told him, you’ll be 80, 90, 100 years old.
Deondre: She asked questions, she made sure to know every single detail. She made sure we knew everything there was to know. She’s always making sure I’m on top of my game. I’m on HIV treatment, and because I’ve been in treatment, I’m now undetectable.
Kathy: Go to the doctor’s appointments with him and ask your questions to the doctor and he will explain. It helped me because I didn’t understand. You cannot get HIV from sharing a plate or glass.
Deondre: Touching me, hugging me, kissing me, shaking my hand.
Kathy: It helps me to know that he’s okay. Because when he’s not okay, I’m not okay.
Deondre: I’m always going to be her baby. No matter how old I get. She worries a lot about me, my health, if I’m going to be okay, my future, but I also think at the same time, she knows that I’m going to be okay.
