A day in the life of an HIV and AIDS person: A compendium of my life

For verdens AIDS dag hadde vi essay-konkurranse og dette var vinneren:

Life is beautiful; a beautiful gift of god. It was a few years back when I asked questions like “why was I born?”, “Why did god choose me to contrive AIDS?” Days and nights passed in deep pain and depression. I thought I was going to die in vain, just like I had lived my life till then, in vain.

But today after 3 years, I’m still alive and I’m happy, happy to have my life back. No, I still have AIDS, there’s no man made medicine that can take away my disease… but it really doesn’t matter that I will die of this disease because I now know that there is so much more to my life now than there has ever been… I have found love, love for life, for myself and for all others.

There was so much hatred and chaos in my life before this “friend”, AIDS, came to life. Don’t be surprised, AIDS is now my best friend, because it’s going to be with me forever, from now on. It will motivate me to fight for my life, and fight for people like myself who are or have been scared. AIDS will help me make everyone understand that convicting a disease is an accident that can happen to everyone. It is not a way of life anyone would choose for themselves so why should they be chastised just for being an AIDS patient. If it had myself not been a victim, I wouldn’t have cared at all’, I would have went on with my care free way of life, giving a damn to all the bad that happens in this world.

Of course that was not what happened. Today, I care. I care not just for AIDS victims, I care for anything that’s living and that is the best feeling there is. That is why I’m calling this disease a friend. It has shown me the way to love and live, to live and love in every way possible. It is a physical disease that I can fight with my positive attitude and acceptance. But it has taken away a greater disease I suffered from earlier…, a non human heartless, loveless and questionable life.

“A diamond cuts a diamond” so does a disease kill another; this is what has happened to me and so many others like me. And I can only feel pity to those who hate us because they are healthier and happier than I am. It is just a slight variation of a fulfilling life, and it’s all about attitude after all.

By Dina Shristha
Biotech 4th year
Kathmandu University