Abbie

Abbie is 25 and lives in Queensland. Here she introduces herself and speaks about her diagnosis: “I was diagnosed with HIV in 2016. HIV was never discussed at school and it wasn’t something I ever thought of getting. I guess because I wasn’t exposed to the fear and stigmas of HIV, my diagnosis was not terribly traumatic. I remember my GP was concerned I wasn’t accepting my diagnosis because I didn’t cry and I didn’t appear upset so he requested frequent GP visits to check in. So me and the kids ended up spending a lot of time in the GP office. They never asked why and they never complained. They just gave me lots of hugs. They didn’t see the HIV. They just saw me. And they made me feel loved. That really was such a blessing.”