Hi I’m Eva from Indianapolis, a mother of three, brand-new grandmother. I’m currently a CNA going back to school for my RN and after work I’m usually at home with my family. I have an 18 year old, a 16 year old, and I’ve adopted another 18 year old, and I have my two year old. There are a lot of pressures of being a mom, you wear many hats. My partner’s name is James. We’ve been together for a year and a half now. He’s my everything. He’s negative and I am positive so we do protect ourselves and his health is very important to me as well as my health being important to him. I think my greatest challenge out of life has been to get through the daily ramifications when it comes to HIV and AIDS. I’ve been thrown out of schools because they found out my status I was two quarters away from graduation and I was actually walked off the campus as if I was toxic waste and that was the hardest point of being HIV-positive for 17 years. Every day looking at my kids, they don’t see anything different, you know, regardless of what other people may see me. They may see the words HIV written across my forehead but my kids see me as their mother, you know, I’m a mother first, HIV came second. I’m just trying to live life and live it to its fullest. A lot of people would look at my life as being that it’s over because I’m HIV positive, you know, but it’s not, it’s just beginning. HIV doesn’t have me. I have it and I have it you know by the neck. You can live a full and happy life and also raise and bear children at the same time. I’m Eva and I’m Greater than AIDS.
Eva doesn’t let her HIV status get in the way of her family. When she is home, her kids see her first and foremost as their mom. She is able to focus on the love and happiness that she receives from her family.
Be Informed, Talk Openly
Knowing the facts and talking openly about HIV helps end stigma. Having the support of loved ones improves the health and well-being of people living with HIV.
