The HIV+ mother of two, Awiti Phenny, is always broad of sharing her status and creating awareness towards HIV. During a health conference, she shared how people ran away from her life after she made it known that she was HIV+.
She narrated; “And on the 5th of May 2017, after going through my inbox on Facebook, I thought to myself”I am tired of telling these men one by one in the inbox that I am HIV Positive, let me address them all on my wall!”
As soon as I came out publicly, all the coffee dates disappeared, some blocked me, some called me sister in Christ! I knew I had a long way to go in stamping out Stigma and Discrimination from that day.
Happy two years Awiti Phenny, finally normalizing HIV positively. Still, I am proud that I am raising HIV Negative Babies, so satisfying! Sharing my story yesterday at RFH Healthcare gave me more contentment! No pity parties, going strong and confident every day! Once more, thank you for the invitation Akothee.”
It is her love for food that led to the 26-year-old discovering her HIV status. She was 16 years old then, and a Form Two at Asumbi Girls High School. A certain organization, she says, visited her school to rally them to donate blood in the second term.
Since she loved food, she could not miss the ration of a soda and a few pieces of biscuits terming it as just a survival tactic in school. The exercise went well, and she even knew her blood type. Then in the third term, another organization came.
“This time around they were giving a full loaf of bread. I did not really want to donate blood but I could not miss the bread,” she says chocking in laughter.
It is in this second instance that she was pulled aside. The attendant went ahead to question her.“Do you have a boyfriend?” “No.” “Have you ever tested for HIV?” “No.”At the back of her mind, she says, she just wanted the attendant to get over with it so that she can go and have her soda and bread.
Five minutes later after, she was asked to interpret the kit. There were two strips. The test came out positive.“It was shocking. I do not even know how the soda and bread dropped from my hands when I walked out,” she says. She never ate it.
That was the turnaround. The bubbly 16-year-old who loved jokes and found it hard to keep a straight face on serious matters became demoralized in almost everything, including her studies.
So when she got a C minus in her final exam, she was not surprised at all. To her, there was no longer need to wake up at 5 am or sleep at 11 pm studying for a future that was not guaranteed. “I even thought the test results were a lie because it was taken once. Maybe if I took another it may turn different.”