There’s more to me than HIV
HIV treatment means we can lead full and healthy lives
For World AIDS Day 2025, we’re spotlighting the stories of people living with HIV and who they are beyond their status. HIV treatment has come a long way over the last 40 years. Today, with the right medication and support, people living with HIV can stay healthy and live life fully.
Real stories
My name’s Ashley and I’m a mentor, campaigner and public speaker. I’m a 65-year-old non-binary soul who is living their best life. Currently, I’m taking on a new challenge by studying for a qualification in counselling. It’s a lot of work but I’m loving being amongst like-minded people. A passion of mine is vintage cars; I’ve got two Saab convertibles and a 1976 Reliant Scimitar. My Dad taught me how to fix up car engines as a child, so I’ve always been interested in building things.
In the last ten years, HIV treatment has come on leaps and bounds to the point where I take one tablet a day and don’t worry about it too much. The treatment means the amount of HIV in my body is so low now that it’s undetectable and I can’t pass it on to anyone else, so it’s really no big deal.
I’m absolutely thriving with HIV and there’s nothing that is going to stop me, I’m full of energy and enjoy life. We’re no longer in the 1990s, the days when Freddie Mercury passed away are over and HIV is now just a chronic illness that you take a tablet for.
HIV doesn’t discriminate, if you’re human then you have a chance of getting HIV so there’s no excuse for stigma. It’s never someone’s fault for being diagnosed with HIV and there’s nothing to feel guilty about.
My name’s Sun, I’m a Queer Trans man, an artist and trained massage therapist. I currently create performance art and I also enjoy sketching, painting and spoken word. I work with non-profits like Chiva and Neon Daisy to run art workshops with young people, exploring themes such as confidence and self-expression. My next goal is to set up a business for my massage therapy and pour my energy into that.
I’ve lived with HIV since I was a child, but it doesn’t stop me from doing anything. Modern HIV medication suppresses HIV to undetectable levels, which means it isn’t an issue for me and I don’t have to stress about it. I feel very confident going on dates and being in healthy sexual and romantic relationships because I know I can’t pass HIV on to anyone else. The latest research also shows that people living with HIV who are on treatment can give birth to HIV-negative babies.
It’s crucial to remember that there are young people who have been living with HIV since birth and their stories are so often left out. It’s not just an adult health condition and it's not all about sex, people of all ages should be taught about HIV and no child should be made to feel ashamed of their diagnosis. As adults, we need to talk about HIV and other STIs without shame, so we can normalise and destigmatize them for future generations.
The HIV positive community isn’t just surviving anymore, we’re thriving. If you’re newly diagnosed, please look for support because the community has got your back.
My name’s Emily and I work for the community rehabilitation service. The most important things to me in my life are my son, the HIV community and my beautiful friends. I try out new hobbies regularly but one that has stuck is drumming in a Samba band, I love performing at festivals and parades in the summer months. My main goals in life at the moment are to put my little boy first and be a kick-ass mum.
HIV treatment has come far in a short space of time. I’m so grateful to the activists of the 1980s and 90s who fought for accessible medication and the scientists who have developed new treatments. For me, HIV treatment has meant that I’ve been able to get pregnant and give birth naturally to a healthy, HIV-negative child. I’m proud that HIV stops with me and that on treatment I cannot pass it on. I never worry about HIV now because I know where my health is at and I know it’s good.
You can thrive while living with HIV, especially when you draw on support from the HIV community and charities like Brigstowe and the Terrence Higgins Trust. Meeting other people like me made me realise that we’re all normal people and can live happy, long lives. There’s no one kind of person that gets HIV, as a white heterosexual woman, I know that anyone can get diagnosed so it’s important to get tested.
I would describe myself as a cheerful person who likes to be around happy people! What is important to me is to see others around me living a happy life with no worries. My favourite hobbies are cooking, designing, sewing and swimming. One of my ambitions for the future is that I would like to inspire and teach people to make their own clothes here in Bristol.
HIV treatment has supported me to feel at ease and not worried that the virus might put me and others at risk. It is possible to thrive with HIV once you know that U=U, that with treatment the virus can drop down to undetectable levels and you cannot pass it on, then you can feel relieved. Some medications are not easy, but when you know you will not be passing it on then you can endure all the trouble.
Some people see HIV as a hopeless diagnosis, but all illnesses bring their own challenges - it's how you deal with it that can make a difference. HIV is manageable with the right support and treatment, and many people live long, healthy lives. Thinking positively and focusing on what’s possible is always a better way forward.
Unfortunately, HIV stigma still exists and it can be devastating. In my case, I had a really bad experience where my best friend who I first told about my diagnosis shared my status with all the contacts in my phone without my consent. I now have control over who I share my status with and only do so to try and improve the lives of others.
My name’s Josh and I’m a software engineer. I live in Bristol and share my home with my dog called Subaru. I love to keep myself fit in the gym and travel to see as much of the world as possible. My brothers live in Hong Kong and New Zealand, so I often visit them. I spend a lot of my free time volunteering, mentoring and campaigning in the HIV sector.
Being diagnosed with HIV at 26 years old was a new beginning for me. Every year, I celebrate the anniversary of my diagnosis as a birthday and take my family and friends out to dinner. I used to think HIV was a death sentence, but obviously it’s not! I’m a living example of someone who is HIV positive and healthy, I look after my health just like anyone else and HIV has never held me back. The reality is I take one pill a day and I can’t transmit the virus to anyone else.
I’m able to live well with HIV because I’ve found community and support from others. Around 1 in 10 people living with HIV do not share their status with anyone other than healthcare staff. This is worrying because isolation can result in poor mental and physical health. Today, stigma is more harmful than HIV.
It’s important to test regularly and catch HIV early because you can get on treatment and live a long healthy life with the support of the whole HIV community. Don’t be afraid to take control of your health.
