Margate Leshoto Mohale, 40, Mamalodi
Margate Mohale is a big believer in talking about HIV. Even when she is out at parties she speaks openly about her status, in the hope that it will encourage others to approach her and ask important questions. “I know that HIV is a virus but it has taught me a lot. I have started to love myself and love other people. Now I enjoy sharing my story.” Margate was scared about the rumors she heard about ARV’s, but with the support of her family, she has managed to find her way through. She has defaulted twice over the years. At one point she did not take her medication for 6 months and her blood tests came back very bad. She got back on ARV’s and has managed her health very well since then.
She says that she used to live her life for other people but since testing positive she has learned to love herself. Through her work with the Treatment Action Campaign, she met a lot of people living happy and healthy lives with the virus. This has been a support for her and a way for her to get important information about her treatment.
Now Margate is happy and healthy living with the virus. She takes her medication daily and the only time she has to go to the clinic is to collect her ARV’s and to have her blood tested.
Concerning stigma, she says that people have a lot to say and they listen to the wrong things. She says that community dialogue and get-togethers with people telling their stories are the only way to deal with stigma. She tries to talk about it as much as possible. Even when she is at parties she will openly talk about her status, forgetting that outside her TAC circles it is not the normal thing to do.
Her daughter knows all about her status and reminds her to take her medication.
Margate Mohale is a big believer in talking about HIV. Even when she is out at parties she speaks openly about her status, in the hope that it will encourage others to approach her and ask important questions. i
Margate Leshoto Mohale, 40, Mamalodi
Margate was scared about the rumors she heard about ARV’s, but with the support of her family, she has managed to find her way through. She has defaulted twice over the years. At one point she did not take her medication for 6 months and her blood tests came back very bad. She got back on ARV’s and has managed her health very well since then.
She says that she used to live her life for other people but since finding out she has HIV she has learned to love herself. Through her work with the Treatment Action Campaign, she met a lot of people living happy and healthy lives with the virus. This has been a support for her and a way for her to get important information about her treatment.
“I know that HIV is a virus but it has taught me a lot. I have started to love myself and love other people. Now I enjoy sharing my story.”
Now Margate is happy and healthy living with the virus. She takes her treatment daily and the only time she has to go to the clinic is to collect her ARVs and to have her blood tested.
“Nothing has changed, I’m still the same person, with the virus.”
Concerning stigma, she says that people have a lot to say and they listen to the wrong things. She says that community dialogue and get-togethers with people telling their stories are the only way to deal with stigma. She tries to talk about it as much as possible. Even when she is at parties she will openly talk about her status, forgetting that outside her TAC circles it is not the normal thing to do.
Her daughter knows all about her status and reminds her to take her ARVs.
“If a car doesn’t have petrol it won’t move. Just tell yourself – I am a car, my medication is my petrol, then you will keep on living.”
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