A young woman discovered at 13 that she had been born HIV positive, a fact everyone around her seemed to know except her. Growing up, she took daily medication without understanding why, believing it was “to keep her strong.”

Finding her hospital file shocked her, and confronting her mother revealed a long-held secret meant to protect her, though it instead left her feeling lonely and isolated. For years, she hid her status, avoided close friendships, and feared stigma more than the virus itself.

Her life changed when she joined a support group for young people living with HIV, where she realized that the virus does not define her future. With confidence, she now takes her medication openly, lives fully, and speaks without shame.

She urges parents and society to rethink silence around HIV and start honest conversations with children, highlighting that stigma—not the virus—is the real threat to living boldly.