Embracing My Journey: A Love Letter to My Younger Self
Tijaunna Thames Francis — September 2023My Dearest Younger Self, As I pen this letter to you, I am overwhelmed with emotions, reflecting on the journey that has brought us to this point. I want you to know, first and foremost, that you are loved deeply. Your journey, though marked by challenges, is also paved with resilience and strength. Younger Tiajuanna,…
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Finding Light in Darkness: Myra’s Love Letter to Herself
Myra Franks — September 2023My Beautiful Soul, Myra. I want to start by telling you how proud I am of the incredible journey you've undertaken. Life hasn't always been easy, and I know that you felt scared, alone, and uncertain when you received your diagnosis 22 years ago. You thought that giving up might be the best option, but…
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Thirty Years of Resilience
Vanessa Johnson — September 2023HIV/AIDS has touched everyone’s life in some way after four decades in the sexual health spotlight. If you’re 10, you’ve heard about this disease in health class or on social media. If you’re a 20-something young adult, you have most likely given heavy thought to this sexually transmitted disease and taken recommended precautions. Those who…
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My 38-Year Journey Living with HIV
Mark Grantham — February 2023I remember it like it was yesterday, but it was June 1984—38 years ago. It was the day I received my HIV diagnosis. My name is Mark Grantham and I had just started graduate school at the University of South Florida’s (USF) Tampa campus. I saw fliers on the light poles and trees of the…
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My Journey
Lisa Johnson-Lett — November 2022My journey began September 11, 1973 to a life intersected with substance use, domestic violence, and mental health living in one of the ghettos on the south side in a predominately black community.
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Resilience
Yolanda Diaz — November 2022My name is Yolanda Diaz (She/Her/Hers). I am 60 years old, living in the Bronx in New York. I have three children—two girls and one boy. I didn’t raise them because I began using drugs at a young age. I gave my first-born daughter to her father to raise, my second daughter was raised by my mother-in-law and my son was adopted.
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Peter Byrd Ages with AIDS
Peter Byrd — November 2022The night before I completed this remembrance, I spoke with my 40-year-old son, the older of two, about some family business. While we spoke, he mentioned that his closest friends’ fathers are all dead. He voiced his appreciation that not only was I alive, but I was present and important in his life.
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