A woman with HIV is using social media to encourage people to see it “like any other health condition”.
Victoria Roscow was diagnosed with HIV when she was nine-weeks-pregnant and thought it was a “death sentence”.
The 29-year-old said she contracted the virus from unprotected sex with a previous partner, but her husband and son were both HIV-negative.
She now shares her experience on social media and hopes to educate people about the realities of living with HIV.
“It was like a video diary for myself more than anything, to come to terms with my diagnosis by reaffirming the facts around living with HIV,” Ms Roscow, from Blackburn.
“It’s helped me become comfortable with it and be very accepting of it.
“I think a lot of people with HIV struggle with accepting their diagnoses and being their most authentic self.
“So I’m hoping that by being so open with my videos that I can help people be themselves with it and help it not define them.”
Anti-viral medication protects her husband and son from contracting the virusMs Roscow said when she was diagnosed her first thought was “I’m going to die.”
But antiviral medication means she will live a normal life with a normal life expectancy.
It also stops her husband and son from contracting the virus.
What is HIV?
- HIV stands for Human Immunodeficiency Virus – the immunodeficiency is the weakening of the immune system by the virus
- If untreated it can lead to late-stage HIV or Aids, the name for a collection of illnesses caused by the virus
- Medication helping those with HIV to live long, healthy lives has been available for decades
- Modern medication reduces the viral load to undetectable levels, meaning someone can’t pass on HIV and their health is protected
Sources: Terrence Higgins Trust & NHS
“We still view HIV with that lens of sordid connotations, but that’s not the case anymore. It’s just another health condition,” Ms Roscow said.
“We’re just another normal family.
“My HIV does not define me whatsoever, it’s just a part of my daily routine at this point.”
Source: https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-lancashire-67545823
