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The Positive Side Spring 2003
Volume 6, Issue2
Women's Words: Jocelyn Paul
Jocelyn Paul, 49
St. Mary’s First Nation, New Brunswick
Diagnosed with full-blown AIDS: 2000 (with 3 CD4 cells)
CD4 count: 117
Viral load: undetectable
Volunteer at AIDS New Brunswick and Healing Our Nation.
I try to learn a lot about HIV and bring it back to my community. I recently spoke to some Aboriginal high school students about HIV. Our community is not in the woods somewhere, it’s right in the middle of the city, so youth can get a hold of drugs and alcohol quite easily. They should know that HIV can happen to anyone. I never thought it would happen to me and I’m having a really hard time with it now.
Family and community support is very important. I get a lot of support from my kids, grandchildren and community. I’m open about my status and haven’t faced any problems in my community yet, even though I know there are a lot of problems out there. If my community hadn’t accepted me, I’d be dead by now. But they care; they ask me about the medications and whether they’re working for me. Community acceptance makes such a big difference.
When I was diagnosed, I couldn’t talk to anyone else, I had nobody to call. I could feel my spirit dying. Then I went on a women’s retreat, where I met other HIV+ women. I got a lot of support from other PHAs. They became my family. Now everybody knows I have HIV. I’ve even asked AIDS New Brunswick to keep my name and number open to anyone who’d like to talk about HIV. I’d like to reach the women who have HIV and no one to talk to, who want to learn more. It’s true, there are a lot of differences between Aboriginal PHAs and other PHAs, but we all have one disease.
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