I recently came across this page on Facebook, The Stigma Project. As the name would imply, they are striving to undo the stigma associated with HIV & those living with it. Great, I've heard this before, but what I hadn't heard of was the concept of, "HIV Neutral."
HIV Neutral means: (Taken from The Stigma Project's Page)
"HIV Neutral" is a state of mind, regardless of your status, in which you are informed and aware of the constantly evolving state of HIV/AIDS. Living a "neutral" lifestyle is being a visible advocate in the fight to end HIV and the stigma that strengthens it. It is putting emphasis on the humanity of all people and not casting judgement because of their status, positive or negative. It is standing up, speaking out and educating others.Simply put, it is being able to make informed decisions about your social and sexual health. Because HIV is now classified as a chronic manageable condition, treatment is now focused on people living full and healthy lives.To truly live "HIV Neutral," we must begin shifting towards a new way of thinking about HIV/AIDS. Moving away from thoughts full of death and sadness and towards thoughts of life and hope for the future.
I'm pretty sure I'll come back to this topic, for now, I think I just want to take it in a bit. It's actually has quite an impact. It's responsible, proactive & adaptive to the time. This disease & how we handle has changed since we 1st became aware of it 30 years ago.
Don't think I'm saying living with a chronic illness is easy. Please refer to my post of the Spoon Theory or Google the concept yourself. Living with a chronic illness is more difficult than most people will ever understand. However, it is still living. Go check out their sites.
Cya...
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