Today we publish another life story of a girl named Katya. Especially for our website, she told us about all twists and turns in their life.
„My name is Katya, I’m 35 years old. I have a lovely five year old son, a loving husband, a great job, cozy home and many plans for the future. I love doing handmade things, I can cook the best in the world jam and I love to dig in my own garden. And I have HIV, that is to say, both with my husband we have HIV. We do not know who infected whom and we never even thought about it. We just live day by day, we raise a perfectly healthy baby, we walk, we go to the cinema, we share joys and sorrows and I dream of one more baby. I’d like a girl …
A part of my life that I would like to erase started when I was 17. Then, I tried drugs for the first time. It was weed. Nothing special, I even don’t remember what I felt then. And then was heroin, pervitin and lots of more, only a little bit, so I could try every drug. I was dropped out of school, I didn’t work, started to steal and got into the prison for two years. These two years healed me, my beliefs and my point of view turned upside down. I left the prison as a new person, I tried to find a job, but I didn’t. I decided to move to Russia and accidently on the street I met one Moldovan guy who later became my husband. We moved in together, we decided to have a baby, I got pregnant, everything was great.
It all happened before the New Year. I decided to do general cleaning in the house, made a sudden move and realized that something is wrong. Slowly I took my bag, washed my hair and went to the hospital. When I arrived, they said that an emergency cesarean have to be done. The kid was born with not fully developed lungs and they put him into the incubator for premature babies. And after regaining consciousness they told that I have HIV. I do not know how much I cried during these few months in hospital. I cried because of grief, despair, anger and resentment. I cried for myself, my life and my child. Then, more than anything else, I wanted Alyosha to be healthy and God to hear me. Alyosha and I left the hospital after couple of months. Immediately after it, I went to the infectious disease specialists and started ARV therapy. It was incredibly hard to get used to the side effects, I felt sick, I was exhausted all the time, I basically did not want to eat.
Even now I set up three alarm clocks to not forget to take the pill. And I think, I stopped this damn HIV. Today my HIV viral load is zero. I’m the same person, like everyone else. Yes, I do not disclose my HIV status because I do not want to walk around the city wearing sunglasses and to be afraid to look people in the eye. I want to live every day, every minute. Not sure if I will feel the same in ten, twenty years. Therefore, I live for today, for myself, for my husband, for my son.
Already for several years I am working as a volunteer in a public charity organization to help people like me. I tell them my story and I try to inform them about the most important thing – no matter what happened in your life, no matter how much you were wrong, you have to pull yourself together and start to fight for your happiness. Drug addiction can be overcome, prison can be forgotten, HIV can be stopped. Stopped for a long time. Stopped to start helping, to change yourself and to protect your children from harm, which takes people forever, you only have to stop fighting.”
Ed. Due to confidentiality reasons, all names and dates in this article have been changed