Untold Stories - Richard's Story

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Richards Story

HIV can affect anyone.

There is no vaccine or cure for HIV. However, it is no longer a death sentence.

In Australia, people with HIV can access support and treatment to maintain their HIV at an undetectable level and continue to live full lives. Undetectable means untransmissible; however, like many other conditions, HIV can be prevented. By being informed about what HIV is and how it can be transmitted, we can take measures to look after ourselves and others. Regular testing, using condoms, and if it's right for you to taking PrEP continues to be the most effective ways to prevent transmission of HIV. 

World AIDS Day is held on 1 December each year and aims to raise global awareness about the issues surrounding HIV and AIDS.  It is a day for people to show their support for those living with HIV, remember those we have lost and learn more about how we can continue to prevent the spread of HIV throughout our communities. 

Richard's Story 

*Names in this story have been changed to protect people's identities. 

HIV is a highly stigmatised and often isolating experience. However, stories of community, triumph and care continue to shed new light on what it's like to love and live with HIV. We spoke to Richard, a UNSW International student, who told us his story of how his brother’s life changed after becoming HIV-positive and how he found his own support network.

For Richard and his brother, being a part of the LGBTQ+ community whilst growing up in Singapore was difficult. Despite its glitz and glamour, Singapore is a deeply conservative city that “criminalises queerness and HIV status,” said Richard.

When Richard got a call from his brother telling him he was diagnosed with HIV, Richard wasn’t worried about the illness but rather the stigma attached to it.

“How was he going to afford treatment in a country that long refused to subsidise HIV medication, at least publicly? How was he ever going to fulfil his dream of finally leaving home, moving abroad for university and all the rest of it?”

Having HIV drastically changed Richard’s brother’s life and his plans for the future.

“It was difficult for him to get a visa to study abroad because his destination country was concerned that he would represent a burden on the health system. He also faced difficulties with employment in a country where it's perfectly legal for employers to ask comprehensive questions on applicants' medical and mental health histories for any sort of work.”

But the biggest thing – knowing that there was a part of him he may always have to hide because of a lack of understanding from family and society.

Being HIV-positive impacted not only how others saw him but his day-to-day routine. Richard’s brother regularly experienced “the embarrassment of seeing a doctor for something so personal, the tiredness, the mood swings and shockingly high cost [for anti-retroviral drugs]” And sometimes, Richard said this was all “without a clue as to how they were going to pay for it.”

However, having HIV is not a death sentence, especially when you have support from those around you.

Richard and his brother founded an STI health service and community organisation in Singapore focusing on HIV. This service attends to marginalised groups and educates them on risk management and prevention strategies.

“We wanted the brown folk and those who were sick or who are worried about their health, to have a group of people they could talk to, to feel less alone.”

This service still operates today and provides those who seek it's service a vital source of community support, making their treatment and lives far less isolated than if they were navigating this on their own. 

Listen to Richard's story below and find out more about UNSW's sexual health services and free sexual health testing available at the UNSW Health Services via the link below. 

Sexual Health Testing

 

 

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