Alba: "I Think I'm the Oldest Woman Living with HIV!‪"‬

At first I was scared to death about HIV. I was trying to get my life back again, plus, I had an emotional rupture with my boyfriend. It was so hard for both of us to accept HIV. I got to acceptance, but he did not. He left me and said I was the person who infected him. I was alone to be with the emotional difficulty. My family supported me well, and my human family of friends also supported me. In the beginning, I did not want western medicine and I stuck with eastern care for 10 years. Later someone convinced me to follow both, but it was so hard. My stomach was so delicate with the meds. I had no appetite and was vomiting from them. I am still healthy but I got sick in October and decided to go off meds. I want to live my last years relaxing with a good stomach, enjoying my life--I want to be me. I went back to eastern treatment--herbs and vitamins, and I am okay. Doctors could not tell me what was wrong. They tested everything on my body and I'm healthy everywhere. My family was so worried. My t-cells have come back up after my sickness and I am getting better. In the beginning, I did not see the full picture of my life with HIV. But life has not changed with HIV. I am the same person with the same essence--it does not change. I have the same values and the same strong faith in the Creator. My message is that your essence, your spirit has to be really together and strong. If you are strong inside, you are strong from the outside. I don't think anything will help you if you do not have faith, not medicine or anything. I believe in the Creator, the metaphysical. We are here for some reason. In the beginning, I tried to help so many people. I worked on the WORLD newsletter, a Spanish newsletter, and helped people with HIV in a group and at clinics. All my life I was very involved. About five years ago I stopped and said I will now dedicate more of my energy to myself. I am still happy to talk with people and share my knowledge. This is the meaning of life, whether you have HIV or not.