Charity's story
Before my diagnosis, I was simply living, studying, chasing opportunities, and feeling happy. But in 2003, everything changed. A friend discovered she was HIV positive during IVF treatment. When I picked up what I thought were sleeping pills from my boyfriend, she told me they were actually HIV meds. That moment pushed me to get tested. I thought I’d be fine, but I wasn’t.
The diagnosis devastated me, but it didn’t stop me. It reshaped me. I learned resilience, empathy, and the power of community. Still, stigma followed. One day, while working in hospitality, I was polishing cutlery when a co-worker, after overhearing I was living with HIV, took the entire tray and rewashed it. Without a word, she replaced everything I touched. I knew what it was about. She left soon after, but the hurt stayed.
Another time, in a hospital, the receptionist announced I’d be seen last “because of your HIV,” in front of everyone.
Stigma like that doesn’t come from truth. It comes from fear and misinformation. People think they can get HIV from a fork or a hug. They assume you’ve done something wrong. But I use my story now to challenge that. As an activist and artist, I share my truth in books, posters, and public campaigns. I was once a poster girl for Terrence Higgins Trust during National HIV Testing Week, and for the first time, I felt free. Seen.
Today, I live proudly. HIV is part of my journey, but it doesn’t define me.
Eoin's story
When I was diagnosed with HIV, I felt so disappointed in myself. I was a paramedic student at the time, and I knew that I’d be physically okay. But it was like I had let down 30 years of gay men before me who have fought to end stigma and prejudice, and I had confirmed my mum’s worries about moving to London as a gay man.
At the same time, I received a lot of stigma from people in my life and people in the medical profession, which was especially shocking. Some people even told me that I wouldn’t be able to achieve my dream of becoming a paramedic while living with HIV – which isn’t true.
During that period immediately after my diagnosis, my life was consumed by HIV. I wasn’t looking at the world through rose tinted glasses, I was looking at it through HIV glasses.
I eventually realised that this wasn’t because of how I felt about HIV, but because of how the world saw HIV. It was because of lack of education and awareness, and the stigma that comes as a result.
Today, I am a senior paramedic in the Prison Service, and a Positive Voices speaker with Terrence Higgins Trust, delivering educational talks in spaces such as workplaces and schools.
No one should have to give up on their dream career as a result of their HIV status. That’s why Terrence Higgins Trust’s Work and Skills programme, which provides employment support and learning to people living with HIV, is so important.
