Lyfe Positive

Getting Poked: An Annual Flu Shot and Living With HIV

stigmahurts@gmail.com (Ria Denise) — Mon, 27 Jan 2014 19:53:00 GMT

I am curious to know why is it that when something is needed pretty much every year, the supply for such things do not meet the demand. In this case, I am speaking about the flu shot and this happens every single year. What makes this year different is that in my neck of the woods, it is an alarming number of people dying from the flu. What scares me most is that all of these people are healthy with no known illnesses prior to nor found after their unfortunate demise. One of those was an associate that I know through a family member.

What? Adherence? What About It?

stigmahurts@gmail.com (Ria Denise) — Mon, 8 Oct 2012 10:50:00 GMT

Being HIV positive is not fun, at least not for me. At some point, a person who is in my shoes starts thinking about the process of medications, doctors visits and everything in between that they have to do to keep themselves as healthy as possible. I believe that this is possibly one of the greatest stressors for people with any chronic illness.

The Soundtrack of My Life

stigmahurts@gmail.com (Ria Denise) — Thu, 23 Aug 2012 10:27:00 GMT

Have you ever wanted to know what the soundtrack of your life would be? If moments in your life had a theme song that played or fit that exact moment what would it be?

Since yesterday was a lazy and equally stressful one for me, this morning I found myself sitting in my living room, writing poetry, listening to music and waiting for my one of my princesses (my oldest niece) to awake ... I was wondering just that.

The Beginning of a New Me

stigmahurts@gmail.com (Ria Denise) — Thu, 16 Aug 2012 15:45:00 GMT

My story begins in the 80's and ironically those years were also the beginning of the fight against HIV & AIDS.

Early on in life I knew I was going to be someone important and so did those who surrounded me. I always longed to be a part of something big and eventually around six years old I decided on being a doctor when I grew up. I never faltered from that dream till this day. I was kind of a rebel, not in a sense of what most of my peers were doing, i.e. sneaking out of the house or what my southern people call "fast". After all I was the granddaughter of a preacher and my grandmother was saved so my morals were something I always had. I was more interested in books and expanding my knowledge than boys. But I most definitely had an issue with any kind of authority despite my standards and expectations others had for me. I always felt that I had to set an example for my siblings being the oldest. I never knew understood then, what I know now; that my higher power had a plan for me from the beginning.