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1 month ago

I Was Shocked When I Tested HIV+ in My 50s. Twenty Years Later, I’m Happier Than Ever.

As told to Nicole Audrey SpectorBack when I worked for the Coast Guard, we used to have regular health checkups. Sexually transmitted infection (STI) testing, including HIV, was done routinely. My results always came back negative. No surprise there. I believed I had no reason to worry because I didn’t have any risk factors that I knew of. I wasn’t a drug user and I was only ever in long-term and trusting monogamous relationships. Plus, I was pretty involved in my community — handing out condoms and advocating for safe sex among people at heightened risk. I kept myself pretty educated. Later,...