Doreen Moraa Moracha, now 25-years old was just 13 when she
learned that she was HIV positive. This was despite her parents being aware of
her status five years earlier. "My parents knew about it when I was 8. But
they informed me about my status when I was 13," she opened up in an
exclusive interview with us
But how exactly did she contract a disease that would
otherwise pass as deadly among most African societies at such a tender age?
Apparently, Doreen was born with the virus to an HIV
discordant couple whereby she is the only child among her siblings to have been
diagnosed of HIV.
Owing to the stigma that surrounds HIV and the horror of
getting rejected by her peers, she was asked to remain silent about her
condition through her teenage years.
However, she could not remain silent forever.
In 2015, Doreen resolved to go public about her status in a
move aimed at offering encouragement and hope for a full life with adherence to
treatment to others living with HIV.
She also wanted to use her story to raise awareness about
the virus and to help the fight against the stigma HIV still has in her
community. This was amid protestation and censure from her father who is HIV
negative.
"I was doing my attachment at TSC and most of the times
we would go out to learning institutions for outreaches and HIV testing and
while at the field, that is when I learnt that there was need for more
information about HIV out there. My boss then, also pushed me that I should
come out and try make a change with my story," she recalls.
She, however, acknowledges that this was certainly not an
easy process and that disclosure took a lot of courage. "I was afraid
considering the stigma associated with HIV.
The first time my story came out and NTV shared it on their
Facebook page and my friends were commenting how they know me and all that, I
got scared and deactivated my Facebook account temporarily," she remarks.
Emboldened, Doreen has been unstoppable ever since. She has been able to share
her story at countless conferences, talk shows, and the very latest - the
internet.
Like many in her generation, she has turned to Facebook to
share her 25-year journey with HIV. In one profound Facebook post, Doreen
uncovers how she, alongside her mother travelled over 500km from Kenya to the
remote village of Loliondo in Arusha, Tanzania to get a cure for the virus.
At the time, the village had shot to fame with thousands of
people flocking the area to get a herbal concoction purported to cure HIV/Aids,
cancer, diabetes, epilepsy, asthma, hypertension and any other ailment. "I
wanted to get well so bad that I convinced my mum that we head to Loliondo for
a cup of the herbal medicine. She agreed, but I didn't get better and this led
me to defaulting from taking my ARVs for 2 years which most definitely affected
my health," she narrates.
"The journey has not been easy but I finally accepted
my status and i'm using my story to end stigma related to HIV and to encourage
people infected that they shouldn't let a small virus that cant talk to control
their lives," she contends.
Her posts have since been gaining so much traction, with
many social media users commending her for being bold enough to share her
story.
Despite her condition, her beautiful and sassy photos have
still attracted potential suitors who would love to get into a relationship
with her. "I use my social media mostly Facebook for advocacy and
motivational purposes and yes, I do get men sliding into my inbox, some even
promising to take Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP) drugs as long as I agree to
date them," she recounts.
Her greatest piece of advice to the young people is the very
same one that most have likely heard time without number: abstaining or use of
protection.
