Stigma Is Killing People With HIV

I couldn't sleep last night after my clinic. My patient is dying from AIDS. When his family found out that he has HIV, he was disowned. His sister kicked him out of her house. He has been self-medicating the shame with alcohol and now has liver disease and likely cancer. He feels so terrible each day that on his own he finally stopped. He cannot miss time at his landscaping job, so he rarely can travel the hour each way to the clinic. He is terrified for his friends to find out about his HIV status, so he has withdrawn and lives alone with his girlfriend, who is too scared to get tested herself. He prays and reads his Bible but has no hope and has contemplated suicide. His fear of hell and his work are the only things keeping him alive.  Continue reading...