Iron Man

Malawi

My name is Iron Man. l am from Dedza, that is where l stay. My father is from Ntcheu, and my mother is from Dedza. It was very difficult for me to know if l was HIV positive or not because at that point in time because l was a child. What l was just seeing is that maybe l was taking medication every day, drugs every morning so little by little l started asking my relatives what the drugs were all about.

And then one day l sat down with my aunt and that is when my aunt told me that, “My child, you know you are growing up and it will be difficult for you to understand if you hear this when you grow up”. She told me that l got HIV from my mother which is mother to child and honestly at that point very strange to hear that l am HIV positive and honestly l had a difficult journey because it took me time to understand and to trust what my aunt was saying that l am HIV positive.

It was a difficult journey because even if l went to school, nothing was working for me because l was feeling lonely. At that time there were books talking about HIV, that were explaining that when you get HIV you will be looking like this. I remember that time l was in standard 4 and there was a certain book that was explaining that when you get HIV you will be looking like this and your hair will be looking like this and honestly l felt lonely and even when l was at school, my school was very difficult. There was a time l had a friend and she come to me and she saw me looking lonely and she advised me that having HIV is not the end of my life and what you have to do is to accept that you are HIV positive. Can’t you see that you are strong? Honestly as l am talking, my life is stable and l am ok. l am working, and l can do any job that anybody can do. For me HIV is not strange because l have accepted it and l can advise someone. I am also a volunteer, helping people who are HIV positive and who feel that getting HIV is the end of life.