“At age 36, I found out that I was HIV-positive. It was the darkest moment in my life,” says Pauline. “I didn’t know who to turn to and share my sad story.”
Pauline knew she needed help. She was not eating well or sleeping. When her husband noticed the change in her and asked if she was okay, Pauline knew it was her opportunity to share her status with him.
“For sure, I was so scared to tell him, but he grabbed me and hugged me and said, ‘It's okay. I'm going to love you more and support you.’ And that just made me feel 100% better.”
To her surprise, Pauline’s husband then told her that he had been on HIV medication for the previous two years. He had been afraid to disclose his status, so that day he was happy that Pauline had the courage to share hers.
“I met people who had lived for years with the virus and were hopeful about the future. I felt so good being around people who could identify with my situation.”
In 2015, Pauline started treatment and remained healthy, and in 2016, her story turned around when she joined a support group at Tumaini Medical Centre in Isiolo, where she was receiving treatment.
“Unfortunately,” Pauline says, “in 2017, Tumaini Medical Centre stopped offering HIV services and the impact was huge for the people who depended on the facility. We could not meet in the support groups as we used to and we lost contact with each other. We still do not know where some people are.”
“Kiunga has brought us together again. We can now share our life experiences with one another, pray together and support one another in this journey.
We thank God for Kiunga!”
Pauline and her husband now have a daughter who is HIV-negative. She says she is grateful to her husband who has always been there for her and to the support group members who have stood with her all this time.