Interview 33

Age at interview: 38

Age at diagnosis: 35

Brief Outline:

When he was first diagnosed, he was very concerned that he may have passed HIV onto his child and ex-wife, but he had not. With Combivir and nevirapine, he has over 300 CD4 cells and an undetectable viral load. (Video and audio clips read by an actor.)

Background:

A 38 year old father with a child, doing voluntary work for African orphans. He was born in Africa but is a British citizen.

More about me...

Age at interview' 38

Age at diagnosis' 35

Sex' Male

Background' A 38 year old father with a child, doing voluntary work for African orphans. He was born in Africa but is a British citizen.

Outline' A 38 year old father with a child, doing voluntary work for African orphans. He was born in Africa but is a British citizen. When he was first diagnosed, he was very concerned that he may have passed HIV onto his son and ex-wife, but he had not. With Combivir and nevirapine, he has over 300 T cells and an undetectable viral load. He believes that people need to avoid excessive thinking about HIV and think positively about themselves. He believes diet and faith are important, and that medication and condom use are compatible with Christianity. He believes HIV positive people especially need to unite and take care of Aids orphans in Africa.

(Video and audio clips read by an actor.)

When he visited Aids orphans in Africa he thought about how HIV positive people could come...

These, it's like now these children they are almost about, almost 50, 60 of them. No fathers, no mothers. When I saw these kids I thought who have they got to run to and say, daddy I want this, mummy I want this? These kids parents died because of that HIV disease, Aids… Why can't you just donate even a penny or pound or, you know for these kids, so these kids can have future, these are our kids, the HIV people, as we want to call ourselves, these are our kids. 

Because these are our… our friends, brothers, who died leaving these kids… they've got no school some of them they never been to school, they are… who's going to run the country, who is going to look after these kids? If we are all going to sit and die because we are HIV, we just sit back, who's going to… who's going to run the country, who's going to drive buses? 

We still got our heads and feet and eyes and brains to think. So which we've all just... try together and be one, one nation. I think the world would be better for HIV people.