Anonymous, infected when he was 18, from Montreal

I was 18 when I first knew about my HIV status. It was hard for me to realize it was true at first so I did not react all that much. I never really felt any change in my lifestyle until I first had to take some medications. This is the point in time where I seriously started to deal with the reality I was facing. So far, I have learned a lot from my experience and today, I know that HIV is not as dramatic as everyone around me seems to feel it is, as long as you take care of yourself and the others. Today, I consider myself happy and fortunate to have a life such as the one I have and I’m full of hope for the day we’ll find the cure for HIV.