Interview 42  

Interview 42

Age at Interview: 51
Sex: Female
Age at Diagnosis: 47
Background: A 51 year old woman who came to the UK from Africa over 5 years ago. She did not know what was wrong with her husband who became sick and died back home.

Brief outline:She became sick in the UK while visiting some of her children who live here, and she feels she is now 'stuck here.' The uncertainty over her immigration status is very stressful and does get her down. (Video and audio clips read by an actor.)

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Prayer and support groups helped her to move on from her sense of betrayal and anger that her husband had infected her with HIV. (Read by an actor.)

 



With me my husband, we had five children together, he was ill… he didn't tell… and I didn't know what was wrong with him until he died back home. I didn't know… but when I came here, I just came here for a visit, to see my children who were here. Then as I was about to go back home. According to…when he died, even the death certificate it was gastroenteritis. But the way he looked, he lost weight! 

I kept asking him, 'Is there anything you haven't told me?' And he said, 'No.' But when he was on his death bed, he said to me, 'I am sorry, I am sorry. I am leaving you with children, please look after our children, I am sorry for what I did to you.' I don't know what he meant. 

When I was diagnosed… because I knew no men besides him, that is when I realised. 

When I was diagnosed I was bitter. I cried, I was angry, I said, 'What did you do to me? You knew, why didn't you tell me?' So to me he had killed me, even my children, when I told them about my diagnosis, each one of them said, each one of them said, 'That is dad, what did he do to you? Now you are going to die.' I had to tell the children, 'No it's OK,' he has gone. 

I had to learn to forgive him. I went to churches, because I was angry. Yeah I learnt to forgive him…

Because I was really bitter. Because I was crying, support groups too. It helped me to forgive him and just move on yeah… Yeah it was a struggle, every time I think of it, even at home, trying to pray and it would just come into my mind and then I would start crying, cussing and calling him names. Yeah. What am I to do, he is gone? I said I have to forgive him and go on, and leave the past, and look after my children. That is how I got over it.

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