Fergie Ferguson
November 2nd, 2007
A little over a year ago I was diagnosed with HIV. The Human Immunodeficiency Virus, or HIV, is the virus that causes Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS). The virus weakens a person’s immune system and their ability to fight infections. Unlike when HIV and AIDS first came on the scene in the 1980s, today, because of innovations in prescription medicines, many people living with HIV are able to take medicines to stave off full-blown AIDS and to help them cope with HIV and its affects so that they can live longer lives. However, when I was diagnosed, I felt like I had hit rock bottom. I was working, but wasn’t making much money and I didn’t have any insurance to help me get the prescription medicines I needed to fight this deadly illness. I decided that I needed to make a plan to get healthy again and turn my life around.
The doctor at the clinic where I was receiving medical attention helped me find ways to get the medicines I needed to fight my HIV infection. I now take three HIV medicines and one medicine for migraines. These medicines are saving my life; without them I would die.This experience inspired me to find my purpose in life. I now work for an organization where I can give back to others, the way the clinic and my doctor have given to me. I work for an organization that helps uninsured and underinsured patients who need specialty care find insurance so they can receive the care they need. Our organization also works with physicians who donate their time and services, and we link our patients up with doctors who can provide assistance to them for free or at a reduced cost.
It’s amazing how things don’t work out…and it’s amazing how they do. I feel so blessed that my experiences have led me to a place to give back to those in need, and more importantly that I have the medicines to help me to do just that.
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