Twenty-two-year-old Star* is infected with HIV, but the 5ft 1 inch tall, young woman is having serious challenges convincing her child’s father of her status.
“I am looking so good, so healthy, he just doesn’t believe,” said Star, who was raped by her stepfather when she was nine. Her abuse caused her to contract HIV months before she turned 10.
Today, the mother of a seven-year-old daughter, Star is excited that both her child and the man who fathered her are not carrying the virus. However, again and again, she is forced to prove that she is not lying about her positive status.
“When I started dating my daughter’s father, I disclosed my status, but I was unable to convince him that I was telling the truth,” she told The Gleaner.
Her child’s father was so convinced, he refused to use a condom, “and I got pregnant,” she said.
However, Star was forced to end the relationship one year after her daughter’s birth because her partner wanted to have unprotected sex.
“This would have caused him to reinfect me and he would likely have contracted the virus,” said Star, noting that she had to leave the community they lived in because he became a stalker, accusing her of having another relationship because she refused him sex without a condom.
change reality
As late as last month, Star stated that her daughter’s father again accused her of not being ill, “because I didn’t look any different than I did seven years ago”, she stated.
According to her, the impression of a person stricken with the disease, being someone with rashes, who is emaciated, with a big head, is no longer the case, but that is what remains in the psyche of the Jamaican population, particularly, the men.
“With ARV (anti-retroviral) treatment, people are looking healthy, and as fluffy as Miss Kitty,” she added.
She said the face of a person with HIV, for a man, is completely different.
“A girl with a big bumper, brown with pretty skin, clean skin, is good to go, yet she may be a full-blown AIDS patient.”
From I was born I nevah hear nuttn like dis! Lady you are good woman and dah man should be thanking his lucky stars instead of trying tarnish your name..watah story een? Glad to hear that daughter is doing well 🙂
That is soo sad I really commend her for being upfront about her status and I’m happy her child nor him were infected allow dat was very risky..I really love this story it was very informative and educational..the faces of victims wit this disease has changed and I’m glad she put that out there but know in dem dutty nasty man yah they probably still go raw cause dem inna denial and wen dem ketch it tun round and kill da womsan dem…#noglovenolove especially not wid random ppl
Why wouldn’t they go and get a blood test to prove the HIV Status?
why she say she has it why should she go get a test when she is being responsible and disclosing her status to he idiot….
Why wouldn’t they get a blood test to prove her HIV Status?
foolish
Yuh nuh even haffi tell mi say yuh have aids mi just wah hear all a rumor
True but he don’t believe and just for his sake and well being.
Mi commend har if di stance weh she tek. May God keep she and har daughter. Mi nuh too intelligent, but weh she mean by “reinfect” har :bingung It nuh curable, so even doe di meds suppress progression dat nuh mean seh it gone. Big up tuh all di ooman dem weh tek weh demself from di eediat dunce man.
‘Reinfect’ kinda mek it sound confusing… its basically her becoming infected with another strain of the virus