IT S ALL ABOUT (414) arcw.org

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Preston Howard
5 years ago
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1 IT S ALL ABOUT ME

2 Getting on PrEP was a hard decision for me. I spent three months trying to decide whether or not this was the right decision for me. At first it was about what people would think, because not many knew or understood how this pill could prevent you from contracting HIV. So, after three months I decided to make my first appointment for PrEP. After eight months of consistently taking the pill, I decided that PrEP wasn t for me, because of my own personal health reasons. However, due to my experience I am now an advocate for the medication and can be a leader that educates others throughout my community.

3 Get Tested, Start PrEP (414) arcw.org

4 PUTTING ME FIRST

Yesterday I was with a group of friends having a few drinks. My friend Lewis was telling me about this new pill called PrEP. He said that it s used to prevent people from contracting HIV.

5 Yesterday I was with a group of friends having a few drinks. My friend Lewis was telling me about this new pill called PrEP. He said that it s used to prevent people from contracting HIV. I didn t know what to think, nor did I believe him. Perhaps I should have asked more questions, but I wasn t sold on the whole thing. Recently, I started dating this guy name Darius who just told me of his HIV status. We haven t had sex yet, but the feelings are definitely there. Perhaps it was meant to be that Lewis talked to me about PrEP. After doing my own research and having a few discussions, I am considering getting on PrEP. I mean if Darius, the guy I m dating, can be honest with me, then I owe it to myself to protect myself!

6 Take Control, Get Tested, Start PrEP (414) arcw.org

7 IF AT FIRST YOU DON T SUCCEED

I am a 26 year old black male born and raised in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. I was diagnosed with HIV in 2008. I started taking meds daily in 2011 after I had a scare and was admitted into the hospital.

After I finally got to the undetectable stage, to me it seemed okay to miss a dose or two.

8 I am a 26 year old black male born and raised in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. I was diagnosed with HIV in I started taking meds daily in 2011 after I had a scare and was admitted into the hospital. I promised myself from then on that I would always take care of myself, and take my medications as prescribed. At first it was easy because I had convinced myself to uphold a promise. After I finally got to the undetectable stage, to me it seemed okay to miss a dose or two. I didn t pay much attention but I was missing more and more doses because I was always out kickin it with my friends, or I never had the pills on me when I needed to take them. The pill that I was on at the time was Atripla, and with this pill I had to take one every day at the same time. I would always miss the time because of kickin it with my people. The reality was I never got around to taking the pill. For a while I just quit taking the medications and was scared to go to the doctor because of the results that I would get, mostly because I was embarrassed. I ended up going back eventually, but my CD4 count went back down and my viral load went all the way up. My doctor ended up switching my meds to Complera and for a while it was working, but with this new pill you had to take it at the same time and with food every day. Eventually I messed up that pill too because of my finances,

9 my different eating habits, and challenges with time management, and all those things that I thought were important. As of today, I am on a medication called Genvoya that seems to be the best fit for me. This medication gives me more flexibility as far as when I can take the pill and not being required to take it with food. Something that I now have in place are a few people helping me remember to take my pill. I also have my partner who currently takes PrEP, so when he takes his pill he reminds me that I should take mine too. This has been so helpful and for over a year I have not missed any doses. Also my health has improved a lot and my viral load has returned to the undetectable stage. After all of the struggles, I am happy that I found what works for me. HIV Medications Work, We Can Help (414) arcw.org

10 LEAN ON ME

11 I am a 26 year old male. I am both Puerto Rican and African American, but to most people I m just black. I got HIV when I was 18 years old from a man that I thought I was deeply in love with. At that time he had portrayed being in love with me in order to get my goodies. However, he was not upfront with me about his HIV status, and changed my life in one act. When I found out that I have HIV I was devastated and didn t believe that it really happened to me. I didn t even want to recognize that virus I recently contracted even existed. However, it was very real and I had to deal with it, so what was I going to do? Immediately I went into an intense state of depression. I didn t want to interact with anyone on any level, I didn t want to go anywhere, and my outlook on life had changed in such a negative way. I felt that I had no trustworthy people to confide in. I also felt that I couldn t go to my family because I didn t know how they would react or if they would judge me. In January of 2011 I was rushed to the hospital. I felt sick, my body was extremely weak, and my entire body had a rash that I couldn t explain. After being admitted into the hospital and going through various tests, I was told I was very sick, and could die. Not only that, but I had been diagnosed with the latest stage of syphilis which scared the hell out of me! It was not looking good for me. I will never forget the doctor telling me that I should contact my family and have my loved ones by my side. Basically stuff got real and times had gotten that much more difficult. It was so crazy because the very thing that I held off doing for so long was ultimately what I was forced to do. I ended up calling everyone to let them know my diagnosis and what was going on. After calling everyone, my sister and a few close friends came to support me with no questions asked. From the energy in the room I could tell that they only wanted my heath to improve. In that moment it became clear to me that I needed to change so that I could do better for myself. Once I was discharged

12 from the hospital I went to go see a specialist for my new diagnosis of HIV. She became like a mother figure and helped me formulate a plan to get me on the right track and living a healthier life. I did just that, and now I am taking my medications as prescribed, my CD4 count is at a 546, and my viral load is undetectable. While things have been different and uncomfortable at times, I am thankful that I have established a solid support system to help me deal with this. HIV Medications Work, We Can Help (414) arcw.org

13 CONSISTENCY IS KEY

What s up? My name is Kevin, an 18 year old black guy living in Milwaukee. I just came out of the closet last year and it was the biggest hurdle of my life. Since I came out I feel so free!

14 What s up? My name is Kevin, an 18 year old black guy living in Milwaukee. I just came out of the closet last year and it was the biggest hurdle of my life. Since I came out I feel so free! I ve been exploring what it means to be gay, and I ve been having sex with guys, seeing what I m into and what I d rather stay away from. My gay mother has been a pillar in my life since coming out. She ensures that I get tested on a regular basis by taking me and my siblings in the life to get tested every three months as a family. The first time she took me to get tested I found out I had chlamydia. The doctor told me how crucial it is that I protect myself while having sex. I told him that for the most part I use condoms, but every now and then I do have unprotected sex. The doctor recommended that I get on PrEP to prevent me from contracting HIV. He gave me a full screening including checking my kidney levels and once my lab results were ready, he gave my first month s supply of the medicine, Truvada. I took the pill for a few days but eventually forgot about it. Three months passed by and I was due for testing. As usual, my Mother was on my phone

15 demanding I get dressed for the family testing day. I went to the doctor and to my surprise, again, I had chlamydia! The doctor asked me, had I been taking my PrEP (Truvada) everyday as prescribed, I told him no. He explained to me that just like I was exposed to chlamydia, I could have easily been exposed to HIV, something I d be able to live with, but never get rid of. Upon his counsel I went to Walgreens and bought a weekly pill holder. Now I know I won t forget to take my pill. PrEP Works If You Take It, Every Day (414) arcw.org

16 I FEEL NUMB

17 I haven t been with anyone besides you. He goes on apologizing but I really don t even hear it. This is unbelievable. I ll just pack my things and go. I can t believe he gave me HIV! My phone was ringing all day. I checked my voic and had a thousand messages from him! As I skip through deleting them I hear a message from the Doctors office asking me to come in for treatment. But I FEEL NUMB and don t want to face this right now. I left my boyfriend and went and got my own place. After a few months, that day seemed to just be a bad dream. I began to go on with my day-to-day as if nothing happened, until I passed out at work one day. I was rushed to the hospital via ambulance. They took me in through the ER and eventually decided to admit me. After several hours and multiple tests they came back to tell me that my HIV has progressed to an AIDS diagnosis. The doctor came in and asked me if I knew I was HIV positive. I told him yes and that I never got into treatment because I simply didn t want to accept it. I thought if I ate healthy foods and worked out I would stay in good health. He explained to me that although those life practices are good, they are not enough to keep my viral load down. He told me that the medicines have changed and now I may be able to take just one pill to keep me healthy. After some counsel from the doctor I accepted my status and received my treatment.

18 HIV Medications Work, We Can Help (414) arcw.org

SID: We have a word for that called chutzpah. That means nerve. That is chutzpah.

SID: We have a word for that called chutzpah. That means nerve. That is chutzpah. 1 Brand new body parts materialize. When my guest sings over people miracles break out. If you need a miracle or a healing, I expect you to receive your miracle as my guest sings over you. Can ancient