{ SHIFT+CONTROL } } { WHAT ABOUT THE MEN?
YOU #MYLIFEONPURPOSE ARE ENOUGH. BY NICOLE HEROUX BY WILLIAMS PHOTOS BY NSP STUDIO JOHSUAI MICHAEL KING
I never thought that it would be me. I could never imagine saying: I have spent half of my life dealing with a virus that is completely preventable...BUT HERE #iAM KILLING IT... .. When I was only 21, I learned that HIV would become my lifelong companion and unlikely friend. It took years to embrace not only the virus, but also the circumstances that resulted in something that would change my course and trajectory. During my lowest of times, I avoided it, denied it, and even blamed myself. Through the years, I’ve battled with mental health that led to addiction. Eventually, reality set in and my focus scored attention toward engaging, educating, and empowering the community...especially young men, who are just as sexually vulnerable as young women. I have been decorated with awards and honors for my service and leadership in this community and across the country. To d a y , I c e l e b r a t e #MyLifeOnPurpose...the highs and lows. It’s not always easy and sometimes even I feel alone with a virus that I didn’t ask for. I wouldn’t trade it for the world. It helped shape me into the man everyone sees and hears, but few can actually feel. I will continue this work and being an example of courage, character, and consequence. I will continue to address this and other social and public health issues. We weren’t successful with Ending the Epidemic 82
ROCHESTER WOMAN ONLINE : JUNE EDITION 2022
by 2020, and still have so much work to do...with still few resources to do it. Stories like mine aren’t as uncommon as most would think. Stories like mine are necessary to tell, even when some people don’t want to hear it. I share my story so that it doesn’t become the theme in
someone else’s biography. We don’t get the pleasure of writing our own stories, but we can decide how it is delivered and memorialized. According to research: 1 in 7 people that have HIV don’t know their status. I do. Do you? For testing, prevention, and much more: connect with my friends at ACR Health.
So, you were 21 when you learned that you had HIV...Can you tell us about how you contracted it, and what it was like finding out about the diagnosis? How did the diagnosis change your perception on life? That I also knew what was happening to me, which I take full responsibility for. Finding out the results was the easiest part of the journey. How did others react to you knowing that you had HIV? Being diagnosed with HIV has enhanced an already keen perception and understanding of the world around me. It has been both a blessing and a curse. As strange as it may sound, I can see those that may feel like their virus is invisible. I can hear them louder than the world around us, with an emphasis on all the things that aren’t exactly being said. HIV also taught me about how society receives people like me. For every person that loved, supported, and lifted me up; there was always at least one not so pleasant experiences that knocked me down, canceling each other out. I have an tribe behind me that has developed and changed over the course of my journey, each playing a pivotal role in who I am today. How did others react to you knowing that you had HIV? Having this diagnosis hasn’t really changed who I am, other than giving me an important purpose and platform. It
