Brave Young Man Living With HIV for 19 Years Narrates How He Found Out About His Status

A 24-year-old South African guy has bravely revealed on the social networking platform that he has been living with HIV for 19 years.

The Twitter user identified simply as Lihle (@JuniorLihle2), opened up about his status in a Twitter thread on January, 24.

Lihle titled his thread: “The story of my life. Been HIV (positive) for 19 years. Here is how I found out.”

According to the young man, when he was five, he started wondering why he was taking medication every day. His dad couldn’t immediately give him an answer.

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He later asked Lihle, “Have you ever heard of HIV?” Lihle responded, “Yes, you die when you have it.” He asked his mother the same question when he was a little older.

Lihle further explained that his status remained a secret in the family. In fact, only he and his parents knew about it.

However, he said he felt safe to let everyone know about his status now that he has finished high school.

Narrating further, he wrote;

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“Luckily my mom she’s the nurse . She then set me down and told me I’m HIV positive and she tried to explain that it’s not the end of the world ,but I was far with away with my thoughts. Did not hear a word that time .

“Time went by. It was a secret for the three of us in the family. No one knew even now. Since now that I have finished my high school and that I understand it better, I feel safe to let everyone know about my status. HIV doesn’t define who you are.”

Lihle’s courageous revelation went viral, racking up over 4,000 retweets and 8,000 likes.

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Many praised him for his positive approach to life and for taking care of himself so he can live a normal life.

See some of their reactions below:

 

Photo credit: Twitter