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On the Cover: Jeremy Carter

My name is Jeremy and I’m 23 years old. I enjoy some of life’s simple luxuries. I like to see the sunrise, I love Cartoon Network, and I love to read. I know it sounds nerdy, but it’s pretty much who I am. I have a wonderful partner (also HIV-positive) who I’ve been with for the past year and he’s been more supportive then I could have ever imagined. We met shortly after I found out that I had HIV. He’s been a beacon of inspiration ever since.

I was diagnosed with HIV in May of 2006. I didn’t really know how to feel at the time. My first thought was to run. I ran all the way from St. Louis to Chicago. I told my close friend Chris about my status and he invited me to stay with him for a while.

I was a little more prepared than most people. I knew so much about the virus, and I wasn’t really scared of it. I knew it wasn’t a death sentence, I knew that my life would go on. I felt stupid because I’d been an advocate in preaching about safer sex. “I volunteer for an HIV/AIDS prevention agency, for goodness sakes,” I thought. “How could I have been so dumb?”

I would tell someone else who tests positive that “life goes on.” That HIV is only a part of you. It’s also important to have a support network. I came out to Michael, another close friend of mine, and he made me feel so much better about myself. No matter how much you know about the virus, you still need some form of support from family or friends. Support is important because it helps make getting through every day easier.

I’m not afraid of HIV, I never was afraid of it. I was more afraid of losing my friends, not being able to find love, and of not being happy. I’ve managed to overcome all of those things and I want others to realize that if I can do it, they can too.

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A Brief History of HIV

How HIV Does (and Does Not) Infect, and How it Replicates

Counting Beans

What to Check Under the Hood

HIV Treatment 101

Complications and Emerging Infections

HIV Treatment Series

An Open Letter: Woman to Woman

Legal Issues for the Newly Diagnosed

Rejected Because of Your HIV Status?

A Glossary of HIV Terms

Resources

Why It’s Important to See an AAHIVM HIV Specialist™
 

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