Close To Home

On the first week of December, I found out that a friend of mine was HIV+. He was the first guy I knew who turned out to be positive after I’ve met him (unlike, say, Chronicles of E whom I’ve met after he found out that he was HIV+). Several days after, a Fabcaster told me that another friend of ours was also HIV+ (though he refused to name the friend).

As another Fabcaster said, it really makes a difference when someone whom you personally know has HIV. It brings the virus closer to home. And if it’s a close friend, the disease is literally breathing down your neck.

For those who have never taken the test, believe me when I say that I know the fear of taking it for the first time. I was lucky; I was literally dragged to the test by Chronicles of E. Having him plus a friend for company, plus the fact that the test was done on such a public area (in the streets of Malate), helped shoved my fear aside. What’s more, the results were to be given two weeks after, so I had time to actually “forget” about it.

But it took me almost a year after to take my second test, and the reason was simple: fear of “what if?” What eventually helped me conquer the fear was my sense of responsibility to myself (and consequently, to my loved ones), which, as it turned out, was much more compelling than just coasting along on the blissful irresponsibility of ignorance.

So for those who still haven’t done so, please take the test. And if you tested negative, take the test again after six months.

And always, always, always PLAY SAFE. (Thank you to those who reminded me about this reminder.)