My Husband Has HIV But This Is What Stops Us From Living Normally
( words)
*For representational purpose only.
It is 1 am in the night as I am writing this. I am sitting on my bed and crying, while my husband is sleeping beside me. I am 25 years old. My story started when my parents forced me to marry someone they liked even though I was already in a relationship then, but my ex did not have the spine to talk to my parents about us, so I had to give up on him and bow down to my parents’ choice.
My elder brother had died that year in an accident, so my parents thought that marriage would be a positive step in my life since I was already in depression.
The guy they chose for me was tall, well educated, caring and kind. Initially, everything seemed perfect even though my in-laws were always creating problems for both of us, but I somehow managed.
My mother-in-law did not like us going out alone, so we always had to take her along.
And somehow, I lost interest in going out since she was there every time with my sister-in-law, her husband and her son. That’s how we would to go on dates. My husband is a nice man but he has relinquished my desires for his family.
After six months of my newly wedded life, my husband was tested positive for HIV. He got it during a blood transfusion done before our marriage and since then my world has come crashing down.
He got me tested too and I came out negative, but he was very nervous until the time my reports came. Initially, he went into depression and I frantically kept on searching the internet to know more about it. I have read a lot of articles and they say that HIV is not a deadly disease as long as a person follows a healthy diet and exercise routine. He needs to maintain a high cd4 cell count, these are cells which maintain the body’s immunity.
HIV does not spread by touching or kissing or even by having safe sex.
All this while, his family kept taunting me for his deteriorating health and for not getting pregnant. We may have to opt for IVF, which is a very costly affair, since his sperm count is low, and we are struggling daily to live a normal life.
In the midst of all this, my in-laws continue demanding things from him.
They claim that he is not taking care of them properly and that I not being a good wife. I feel like leaving their place and going away to live somewhere peacefully, but I cannot do this to my husband since he needs both his family’s and my support at this time. I am trying to be strong every day in front of him and I hope to have a normal life in future.
