Masonia: You look the exact same. When you get a diagnosis like HIV you tell yourself internally that I’m not valuable anymore.
Crystal: I wanted her to know that she could talk to me and I would not judge her.
William: We have to get over the stigmas that we place on it. We have to stop looking at morality and start looking at spirituality.
Necaela: I told my sister that I was HIV positive, it was very scary, but I felt like that l could trust her.
Abraham: When I was newly diagnosed and really trying to navigate HIV, I really didn’t talk a lot about it. When I wanted to just talk about it. My mom was always a listening ear.
Abraham’s Mom: Hello?
Abraham: Hey Mama.
Karen: Well, being a mama, my first thing is telling him, “Duston, it’s going to be okay. It’s going to okay.”
Duston: My mom is a huge part of the reason why I want to stay healthy.
Cynthia: When I was diagnosed, my kids were very young.
Marcus: I remember her coming in the bedroom and sitting me down and saying. Never let no one tell you that you never amount to nothing.
Abraham: We taught each other. There were times that she would ask me, “Did you take your medications today?”
Karen: My biggest thing is his medicines. He’s got to stay healthy.
William: You have to find somebody to take care of your spirit, you have to have a strong support system.
Abraham: When I talk to people who don’t have that support, it saddens me because I know how vital that was for me. Love you!
Crystal: Cheers. We are family. And that’s what I think is most important – us helping each other.
Karen: He’s my kid, I love him with all my heart.
Marcus: Bless our souls, bless our families. Amen.
Cynthia: Let’s eat!
Watch these inspiring stories of real families as they show what is possible with love, support and ongoing care for people living with HIV.
