Hi everyone! It seems that I cant post any pictures or videos to Facebook and currently blocked! Since I cant do that I wanted to share what I was trying to post yesterday. Also click on the link to see the video! ✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨ I want to make this posting as a celebration to life! **************MY OPEN LETTER************** I was sitting in the reception area of Lakeview STI Specialty Clinic (2861 N. Clark St). An employee came out and said; Armando…………..Armando! Can you please follow me! We went to a back room and she advised me to take a sit. I did! As I sat down and she began to explain all the tests that I had done. Towards the end she suddenly stood up and said can you please review these documents. While I was trying to gather my thoughts and reviewing all the documents in front of me, out of nowhere she placed her hand on top of the documents and said; After taking the antibody test, which detects the presence of antibodies produced by the body in response to the HIV virus. YOU’RE POSITIVE! She had more to say, but I only recall her saying that! I blocked myself after! I was shocked and did not cry! I’d asked a million and one questions and left! This was probably around 11:00am-12:00pm and I needed to be at the airport at 5:00pm. I used to work at O’Hare airport at the time! It was now about 6:30pm and I was receiving a flight from Mexico. I don’t remember if it was coming from Acapulco, Cancun or Puerto Vallarta. As people were coming out from the plane, some smiling, others laughing and still talking about the wonderful vacation that they had I kept telling myself; *This is a normal day for EVERYONE this is the start of a new life for me. It’s been 11years since and I continue to fight this! I’m very lucky to say that I’m HIV undectable, that I’m healthy, and that I have made radical changes in my life. A lot of people assume and think that by having HIV your life is OVER! I actually have a better quality of life now then what I had before. I have come realized that by becoming HIV I have try to become a better person in and out! I think more about others and sympathize with others. Am I saying I’m now perfect?! I’m nowhere near!!!!!!!! I just want everyone to see that being HIV is not the end! HIV is just part of you but doesn’t make YOU! And despite living with HIV, you can continue to live a normal life and not only look, feel well, but be well. This year I was approached by the AIDS Foundation of Chicago and was asked to share my story. Initially I was scared because of all the negative stigma that still exist. I honestly had to think what would be the best decision. I said Yes! I couldn’t say no to this wonderful opportunity! I wanted to share my story and show others that if you take your regular regiment of medications, exercise, eat well, and focus, you can maintaining yourself as un detectable or get to that goal. My parents named me Armando and it’s funny how things turn out because it mean man of war! I guess that’s why I’m a fighter! I wanted to share my story to inspire anyone that has a challenge! I wanted to share my story not to come across as a victim but to come across as a fighter! I wanted my story to make a difference to perhaps ONE person. So, today I wanted to take you back on what has been my journey of 11 years! Thank you to does that are no longer here and have a voice! Thank you to does that are making a difference! Thank you to all families that support a relative living with this! Thank you to people that indirectly I may never meet but because of them I have been so lucky! Thank YOU! For taking a few minutes of your time to read this! And I can’t end this open letter if I don’t thank everyone that has been in this journey with me. Thank you for does that pushed me more to become stronger, to be a fighter, to be a winner and to be ME! Thanks to my family, friends (Elena, Elizabeth, Yadira) that have been with me since day one! Thank you to the new friends that come into my life! Nizhini! Vivian! Thank you my love, my fiancé, my helping hand for lifting me up on does days that I need that extra push! I have no words just THANK YOU! 11 years and more to come! Let’s continue to educate ourselves of what we can do to stop his and hopefully one day in the near future we can look back and I can perhaps wish and hope that ONE DAY we WILL have the CURE! This is the video Link: https://youtube/watch?v=3oGi3IoKQwY #JOURNEY#HIV#HIVAIDS#HIVAWARNESS#HIVPOSITIVE#LIFE#CELEBRATE#THANKFUL#GRATEFUL#OVERWHELM#LOVED#THANKYOU#11YEARS
Posted on: Fri, 24 Oct 2014 11:05:53 +0000
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