HIV Testmonial Videos

From the moment you understand that undetectable means you can’t transmit the virus, it allays a lot of concerns.

Because for me, my biggest fear was to transmit the virus. So, knowing that I couldn’t transmit it anymore was a huge relief.

My name is Pierre, I am 68 years old, I’ve been HIV positive for 40 years and I enjoy my life.

In 1980, it was, of course, sexual liberation for gay men and since we didn’t know that HIV existed, weren’t using protection, and so, it’s at that time that that I contracted HIV.

I was tested in 1985 and that’s when I learned I was HIV-positive. At that time, my diagnosis gave me 2 years to live. So it was recommended that I quit my job because, within a year, I would be hospitalized and in 2 years, I would be dead.

I was executive director for a company in London, Ontario. I loved my job, it was something…that I had finally reached a position I appreciated.

Since I was still feeling healthy, I kept working.

Text on screen: Treatment prevents the sexual transmission of HIV.

At the time, for someone who was HIV-positive, it was impossible, or nearly impossible, to have a boyfriend because everyone was scared. Everyone was freaking out about it. These were very terrifying times.

In 2003, my doctor offered me a new medication and I became undetectable very quickly. To monitor the disease progression, you need to measure the number of copies of HIV in a millilitre of blood.

Undetectable means that your virus load is low enough that the testing methods fail to detect the virus’ presence in your blood.

Text on screen: U = U (undetectable = untransmittable)

It doesn’t mean that you’re cured. You have to continue taking your medication, but you can no longer transmit the illness to someone else. Today, when talking about stigma, there are people who don’t want to have relationships with HIV-positive people.

On the other hand, there are also people who say: I’d rather have a relationship with someone who is HIV-positive and who knows it and is undetectable, than with someone who’s never been tested.

Text on screen: People with HIV on treatment can live long and health lives.

When I look back at the outlook I had in 1985, when they told me I had 2 years to live, and when I look at where I am today, I find that my life is absolutely exceptional.

Text on screen: Get the facts about HIV. Together, let’s stop stigma. Visit Canada.ca/hiv.

Narrator:

A message from the Government of Canada.

Carlos:

When you hear people living with HIV talking about U = U, it’s tears of joy. At the end of the day, there is hope. My name is Carlos. I’ve been living in Toronto for the last 13 years.

Back home in Ivory Coast, there was a huge stigma around HIV. We couldn’t talk about that at all. When you heard that someone was dying from AIDS, you could feel the silence in the neighbourhood. I got diagnosed in April 2012.

In January 2013, January 2nd, actually, I started my treatment.

Text on screen: The only way to know your status is to get tested.

So, when I went for the first check in, my doctor told me that I was undetectable.

Text on screen: Treatment prevents the sexual transmission of HIV.

Not everybody living with HIV is aware of what U = U is. The research proves that, if you take your medication, you reach the level where you cannot transmit the virus to your sexual partners. It’s something that would change my life as a person living with HIV.

Text on screen: People with HIV on treatment can live long and health lives. U = U (undetectable = untransmittable).

Now with U = U, the way I interact with people, it just gives you a sense of rejuvenation. You feel this kind of fresh air. You don’t feel stress when you wake up in the morning and your HIV status crosses your mind. All this stress, all this negative environment, it disappeared, and a major thing that put me there, at that level, it’s U = U. It’s a huge transformation.

The fear of being stigmatized, completely disappeared.

When you reach that point, the way you felt heavy, it’s the way…you feel so light that it’s like you can fly.

Text on screen: Get the facts about HIV. Together, let’s stop stigma. Visit Canada.ca/hiv.

Narrator:

A message from the Government of Canada.

Carlos: Not everybody living with HIV is aware of what U = U is.

Text on screen:Undetectable = Untransmittable

If you take your medication, you cannot transmit the virus to your sexual partners.

When you hear people living with HIV talking about U = U, it’s tears of joy.

At the end of the day, there is hope.

Text on screen: Treatment can stop HIV from being passed on. Get the facts about HIV. Visit Canada.ca/HIV

Narrator: A message from the Government of Canada.

Finding out about U = U was transformative. You can achieve what you want. It might be hard, but once you have that hope, you have a vision to say, “This is what I want,” you’ll get it.

My name is Marvelous. I’m originally from Zimbabwe and also I’m a woman living with HIV. I was diagnosed in 1995. That was my first sexual intercourse, and I got pregnant and I got HIV.

At that time, there was not access to treatment like it is now in Zimbabwe. Actually, I didn’t even know where to get treatment.

So unfortunately, when I gave birth, my child passed away with bronchopneumonia.

Text on screen: U = U (undetectable = untransmittable)

I started advocating for just women’s voices to be heard, and now with U =U, just making sure that women’s voices are taken into consideration.

U = U, to me, means that once you are undetectable, meaning that your viral load is undetectable, the virus is there, but you cannot transmit HIV if you are taking your treatment.

Text on screen: Treatment prevents the sexual transmission of HIV.

Especially if you go for tests for 6 months and you’re still undetectable, it is scientifically proven that you don’t transmit HIV.

You can have sex without worrying about transmitting to someone. You can do that freely, without shame and enjoying your sex.

Yes, you can live positively. You can be out about your status.

Text on screen: The only way to know your status is to get tested.

You can be out about your status at work or within your family. And it’s not that because of U = U everyone has to be public and say, “Yes, I’m HIV positive”, wherever you go. It’s up to you.

Now that we know with U = U, I cannot transmit HIV to my baby, I can have a healthy baby and that baby will grow up knowing that they’ve got a healthy mother who’s HIV positive, that’s something marvelous to think about.

So, I didn’t let HIV stop me from getting the dreams that I wanted to. Yes, it was a road which had its own ups and downs…but I always had a dream and I always wanted to achieve my dream to go and do my Ph.D. and I’m happy I’m getting there.

Text on screen: Get the facts about HIV. Together, let’s stop stigma. Visit Canada.ca/hiv.

Narrator:

A message from the Government of Canada.

Karrie:

I have been living with HIV for almost 25 years. 15 of those years I went undiagnosed. By the time I was diagnosed, I only had six weeks left to live.

My name is She Who Walks With Angels. My English name is Karrie.

Text on screen: Karrie. Living with HIV.

One time back in the 90s, the condom broke. You don't really think of it, right? I lost 200 pounds doing absolutely nothing. And I went to my doctor. He didn't investigate it because I'm not a gay man. I don't use intravenous drugs. And I always used a condom. Nobody ever thought to just do a simple blood test.

After being told I was HIV positive, I was very devastated because I thought my life was over. I thought my husband, James, this wonderful man who, who's my soulmate. You know, I can't put him at risk. He said, it's okay. We'll do this together.

Text on screen: James. Karrie's husband.

And I started treatment. The amount of HIV copies in the blood dropped so fast I was undetectable within six months. Which means you cannot pass on the HIV to anybody. And that for me, is wonderful security.

I want my tale to be a cautionary tale. There is not enough education about HIV. And now I am a researcher working on a global project surrounding sexual rights, human rights. It's phenomenal that I am making a meaningful impact, and I can't wait to see where this takes me.

Text on screen: Treatment can stop HIV from being passed on. Get the facts about HIV. Visit Canada.ca/HIV.

A message from the Government of Canada.

Karrie: If my family doctor wouldn't have just randomly ordered that HIV test, I wouldn't be here right now.

When I started treatment, I was undetectable within six months, which means you cannot pass on the HIV to anybody.

And that for me, is wonderful security.

Text on screen: Treatment can stop HIV from being passed on. Get the facts about HIV. Visit Canada.ca/HIV

Narrator: A message from the Government of Canada.

Dave:

I never even thought for a million years that HIV would be something that I would end up living with.

I'm Dave Miller. I'm 47 years old. I was brought up in Coal Harbor. My family comes from Indian Brook First Nation.

Text on screen: Dave Living with HIV

So, this is almost 16 years ago now. I was unwell for what seemed like months. And so, I went to the doctor and I just said, you know, something's got to be wrong here. They basically said everything came back good, except you tested positive for HIV.

And that was really right then when I thought that was... That was it for me. That was my... the end of my life, basically.

Just about a year after my diagnosis, I was at an all time low in my life. My best friend is like, what is your problem? Like, I was just mad all the time.

And so, that's when he introduced me to Healing Our Nations. A light went off and I was like, oh my gosh, this is what I'm supposed to be doing.

So this is my office. I don't spend a lot of time in here because I'm a community health educator, so I'm out in the community. I've tailored myself to this career. I've been able to share and talk to people all over the world.

So, I pride myself and say, you can ask me anything, anything you want to know, because people don't get an opportunity to just sit in front of somebody that's living with HIV because of that stigma and discrimination that's out there.

I don't know where the baking powder is. Maybe behind, on the left.

Text on screen: Tracie Dave's roommate

You know, there's sometimes, you know, I've been sitting and talking with a group of people, and when I tell them, you can hear. I've heard chairs like back up as if to be like, oh, I'm too close to this guy, or... But most of the time, you know, they want to give me a hug at the end.

I take these every day, once a day. I started treatment 14 years ago and within six months I had an undetectable viral load, meaning I cannot pass HIV to anybody, through unprotected sex, which is huge.

There is a huge population of people there that aren't aware of this, and they're living with HIV. This needs to be yelled from the highest mountains because it's big news.

Treatment gave me back part of my life that I thought was gone.

I mean, there's so many pieces that play into treatment, it's not just taking pills. It's accepting. Then you can move forward. You can't live life through fear. It's not a death sentence. And I thought it was. And here I am, 16 years later. Healthier than I've ever been. A little chubbier, a little grayer. But I'm doing all right.

Text on screen: Treatment can stop HIV from being passed on. Get the facts about HIV. Visit Canada.ca/HIV.

A message from the Government of Canada.

Dave: I contracted HIV almost 16 years ago now.

It’s not a death sentence, and I thought it was.

Treatment gave me back part of my life that I thought was gone.

Within six months, I had an undetectable viral load, meaning I cannot pass HIV through unprotected sex which is huge.

Here I am 16 years later, healthier than I’ve ever been.

A little chubbier, a little greyer but, I’m doing alright.

Text on screen: Treatment can stop HIV from being passed on. Get the facts about HIV. Visit Canada.ca/HIV

Narrator: A message from the Government of Canada.

Dee:

Knowing that, as someone living with HIV, you can’t transmit the virus once you’re undetectable, like that’s a big deal. It’s a huge deal. It’s a huge breakthrough in HIV science.

I’m Dee. I am Romanian and I also identify as non-binary, which means that I don’t feel fully male or fully female, but I sort of feel somewhere in between and not really either of those things.

I was born at 7 months—2 months early—so they had to keep me alive, so I got a blood transfusion from the hospital.

At 14, I started getting really sick, all of a sudden, and nobody knew what was wrong with me. But finally, someone decided, “Let’s just rule it out and test her for HIV,” and it came back positive. And at the time, I didn’t know what it was. I just knew, “Hey I’m sick. I just want to get better.” You know, a teenager, all you want to do is just go back to normal. So, I went on medication and within a year, I was fine. So, my body just reacted so, so well to that medication.

Text on screen: U = U (undetectable = untransmittable)

Undetectable equals untransmittable, and what it means is that the HIV can’t be found through a blood test. It’s undetectable through a blood test, so that means it can’t be transmitted to a sexual partner.

I also think it’s really important to remember that not everybody has the same access to becoming undetectable.

Text on screen: Treatment prevents the sexual transmission of HIV.

I just hope people take the opportunity to just learn more about it. For someone who’s newly diagnosed, I would say educate yourself and reach out to the HIV-AIDS community because, for me, that’s one of my biggest, biggest regrets, is not doing that sooner.

I’m really happy that I got to meet a person who is so kind. And not just kind about the diagnosis and kind about HIV, but just kind towards all of those little things that make me hard to love sometimes, and I think we all have those little things.

We love doing so many different things together. We’re always busy. We’re always doing something. We just enjoy each other’s company so much.

Lately, I’ve just felt so much more grounded.

Text on screen: People with HIV on treatment can live long and healthy lives.

And, actually, ever since I started doing the photography and the blog, I’ve just felt like I know myself so much better. And so having those outlets and having those ways of expressing myself, I think really, really helped me and continue to help me.

And I can’t wait to see what I create next.

I love it. I’m at a point where I just feel…I feel happy.

Text on screen: Get the facts about HIV. Together, let’s stop stigma. Visit Canada.ca/hiv.

Narrator:

A message from the Government of Canada.

Dee: Undetectable equals untransmittable, and what it means is that the HIV can’t be found through a blood test, so that means it can’t be transmitted to a sexual partner.

As someone living with HIV, you can’t transmit the virus.

That’s a big deal.

I just hope people take the opportunity to just learn more about it.

I’m at a point where I just feel happy.

Text on screen: Treatment can stop HIV from being passed on. Get the facts about HIV. Visit Canada.ca/HIV

Narrator: A message from the Government of Canada.