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HIV

People's stories

Aged 36-40

Interview 06

Interview 06

Age at Interview: 37
Sex: Male
Age at Diagnosis: 36
Background: A gay male who was diagnosed in 2004 after being sexually assaulted. He had a severe sero-conversion illness requiring hospitalisation, and has been off work since then.

Brief outline:He is currently receiving psychotherapy, mainly for his HIV diagnosis and sexual assault. On benefits, he keeps himself busy, and is positive about life and returning to work.

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Says people should avoid allowing HIV to take over their lives and explains what they should focus on.
Print I'm just trying to come up with some kind of little nutshell really for anyone who's just sort of been diagnosed really. The main thing is just to remember who you are. Don't forget where you've come from, your family, your friends and things like that. And don't lose sense of where you are going either… Keep focus because HIV can take you over. If you just focused everything, you know, all your energy on HIV, I think it could overrun your mind as well as your body. But if you stay focused and know exactly what you want out of life, and a lot of people don't know what they want out of life, regardless of if you're HIV or not. But I think it's a time to take stock, to sit back, think about what you want, and get on with it.

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