HHS HealthBeat (August 26, 2009)

Living with HIV – Denise’s story

From the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, I’m Ira Dreyfuss with HHS HealthBeat.

HIV is nothing anyone wants to get but – with proper medical treatment – it can be something you can live with. Denise has been living with it for about 27 years. That’s partly a testament to the power of medical treatment – but it’s also largely a testament to the power of Denise, who took charge of her disease.

In a podcast for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Denise told about going to the doctor, getting the medicines, and finding out about her condition:

[Denise speaks] "Being empowered with that information gave me something to do to fight for my life. So I would just encourage anybody – find out what your status is. If you don’t know, you can’t do anything about it. But if you know, you’re the one that’s in control of your life."

Learn more at hhs.gov.

HHS HealthBeat is a production of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. I’m Ira Dreyfuss.

Last revised: May 7, 2011