Interview 11

Age at interview: 39

Age at diagnosis: 18

Brief Outline:

He has never needed medication for HIV. Even though he did not think he would live past his 20s, he is now facing middle age.

Background:

A single gay male who was diagnosed with HIV early on in the HIV epidemic. He has never been ill from HIV, and has an undetectable viral load.

More about me...

Age at interview' 39

Age at diagnosis' 18

Sex' Male<

Explains why it is that people must accept their HIV.

But I think it's just the fact that you need to realise, no one's out there with an easy fix. And you've got to realise that life is worth living. You can't just go through life with a complete chip on your shoulder or a downer or something saying to you that, 'Oh why's this happened to me?' It's happened. Get on with it. It's happened, you've got to live with it. There's nothing in this world is going to change it.

Is philosophical about death after surviving with HIV.

I just want to go out in a dustbin. Death is not really going to bother me. When your time's up, you time's up with any of us' I've been through one major disaster, which nearly killed me. And I'm not going to' it doesn't bother me now. If I survived that, I can survive anything.

Explains how you could deal with being preached at: You can always change your doctor if you are...

I think for anyone who is newly diagnosed, I think the fact is that they need information. And it's not' if they feel that they're being preached at by someone, get someone else's advice. And if you're not happy with the way your treatment is being given to you or your medication or medical advice is being given to you, go somewhere else. There's always this attitude that if you've got a doctor or a GP and you're not happy with what they' some people just feel they have to sit there and take it. If you're not happy with your GP or your doctor at your hospital, move. There is nothing stopping you, there is nothing in this country to stop you moving your healthcare to anywhere else.