SARASOTA COUNTY (WSNN) – More than four decades into HIV, substantial progress has been made. It’s no longer a death sentence. However, living with it is no easy task. A Sarasota resident who was diagnosed with the virus in the ’80s shares her story with SNN.
Valerie Wojciechowicz was diagnosed with HIV more than 35 years ago.
“Back when I was diagnosed, we didn’t have medication, we didn’t have any hope,” Wojciechowicz said. “The doctor said I didn’t had no more than 18 months to live we didn’t have medication…
She said she had no symptoms. Wojciechowicz found out by accident. When she was preparing to have children with her husband, life insurance turned her down.
“I was in my 20s, I was the healthiest person I know, I couldn’t imagine why they would turn me down,” Wojciechowicz said.
Since there was little information in the 80’s, it took her months to find out she contracted HIV. But, a lot has changed since then.
“I treat my HIV with medications that work really really well for me,” Wojciechowicz said. “My T cells remain high, the viral load remains undetectable and the medications today are awesome.
Wojciechowicz takes a pill every day to treat her HIV.
“It wasn’t until I was 40 that I realized, ok wait a minute, I haven’t planned for retirement, I’m probably going to have one,” Wojciechowicz said.
Today, if you get diagnosed with HIV, it’s possible to have a normal life.
“Medically, it’s not a horrible thing,” Wojciechowicz said. “It’s easily managed and I can tell you if you take your meds, it’s probably not going to be HIV that gets you.”
While HIV is chronic and manageable, medically, Wojciechowicz says it’s not easy to live with financially and socially.
“I was fired from a job, an office job, because of my HIV status,” Wojciechowicz said. “I’ve been turned away from medical treatment because of my HIV status. I had a guy tell me that AIDS is God’s way of weeding out the population.”
She says it’s especially difficult to date.
“I go out on a date, I meet somebody for the first time and I have to tell them my HIV status over dinner,” Wojciechowicz said. “It’s things that other folks don’t have to go through on a first date or first few dates.”
In Florida, you can be prosecuted if you do no to disclose your status with your partner before having sex. So her message to those who don’t have HIV.
“We’ve got ways to ensure you don’t contract HIV and that’s definitely in your best interest,” Wojciechowicz said.
Her message to people with HIV is to contact a peer navigator and join a group with like-minded people. She oversees the peer navigators at CAN Community Health.
“I mean it when you say you don’t want HIV, it’s really challenging to live with. But what get to do with my life, every single day is so incredible and so rewarding that I’m really grateful to be able to get up and make a difference in the world.
Instead of taking a pill every day, some people living with HIV can take an injection once a month. New medical studies show people will soon be able to receive injections once every two months. Wojciechowicz is on the waiting list for this.