On my 43rd birthday, I am reflecting on my birthday also happening to be the anniversary of my HIV diagnosis. Thirteen years ago, I was walking to meet a friend on First Hill in Seattle for a birthday coffee and I collapsed while walking uphill.
I’d had chronic bronchitis that had recently progressed to pneumonia, but I thought I was over it. After an accidental exposure maybe nine months before, I’d been tested and the test was negative, so I thought I was OK.
Shortly after, I was prescribed immunosuppressive medications, which unbeknownst to me caused me to progress from HIV to AIDS really quickly.
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