Mexico City - Friday, December 1, 2006 Print
Living with HIV ...
live
Death Joshua has spent about Quino many times, but has not touched. For ten years resumed a normal life, although full precautions.
We can all die of anything. " So says Joshua when talk the story of "El Guti" who a week before he died in a car accident not worried about becoming infected with HIV as their friend and yet it died first. Joshua
Quino is a man of the theater, gay, happy and one of the 107 000 625 people in Mexico have been infected with HIV / AIDS. At 48 years old not sorry to say, in fact is very wide and from 20 years ago, when it is detected, presumed age, "it is as if born for the first time."
Without much knowledge of what was the virus, Quino was one of the first infected in Mexico for only three years before the epidemic had come to our country. It started with a cough that would not go away, the way to a homeopath, who gave her cunt and after several tests Blood said: "You have the bug."
"The problem is not living with the virus, the problem is to ignore it," he says while smoking a cigarette. Your life is not different from the others: does the same thing everyone without limitations, the only thing is to be punctual with their medications and attend doctor visits.
Today, when we commemorate the World Day to Combat AIDS, the strategy to follow is to know that being infected is not the end. "Until recently it was a death sentence," and while not neglecting prevention is sought, it does raise awareness about how important it is to know whether or not a carrier, "it's about being healthy."
The teatrero, as he calls himself, faced having AIDS when it was new even to physicians, it is said, not by the current name was known "curse called him gay, pink and said cancer that is spread through having sex with foreigners. "
When she learned the news of his family said: "I do not hug, do not want to infect, but stability in their relationship meant that he too was HIV positive.
"Knowing this," he adds, "I had two immediate reactions in my life: I joined the condom sex despite how hard it was to get one and blocked AIDS issues in my life. "
The threat was constant. Shortly after the news the scientists noted that the estimated time of life for those infected was only five years, and when they passed now saying that the most were ten. The countdown was permanent.
decade was approaching, time in which he distanced himself from everyone, "did not go anywhere for fear of infecting my friends" was limited to performing daily activities. His only companion, her boyfriend, who "went out every weekend for the cure".
For the fear of death, 96 months before he said goodbye to his family, resolved earrings he had with his friends. "He said, 'What father everything ready to die'."
But death overtook him, and although he died many acquaintances he had to stop worrying about that. Was devoted to celebrating life, "hated the birds before and did not bother me" and for several decades has been a life intense.
currently does not regret anything that ever lived. "It was like being born, at first you crawl."
Quino is an activist now, made three theater festivals and AIDS in Mexico City so that their civil organization created by the same name. It also works in preventing HIV among young people because "they absorb better assimilate." Sale
a negative male partner ("We are one of hundreds of discordant couples") for two years, and clearly was anticipated from the start as patients of the virus, which prevents not have an active sex life, yes well protected.
After many years of being stigmatized, Joshua said: "The treatment now is more respectful," because people generally enjoyed a close case and not simply for acceptance, "that's what we should not have permitted."
activist is aware that as a person infected has a greater responsibility to assist in the dissemination of this topic. "Just live for reporting and disseminating information".
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Copyright © 2006 Millennium Publishing Group
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