Charles shares his story - a podcast by POZ I AM RADIO

 It took almost four years after his diagnosis for Charles  to say these words: “I accept life with HIV. I will love myself unconditionally.” Even as a HIV/AIDS activist and leader in the Black, Same-Gender Loving community, Charles struggled with the social, psychological, and spiritual implications of living with an incurable disease that raped the lives of many of his family and friends. Charles, 26, says that the death of his surrogate father, Shelton Jackson, who died from AIDS-related complications earlier this year and a nervous breakdown he suffered shortly thereafter were the main drivers of his acceptance. Charles was hospitalized for two days while attending a leadership retreat in Atlanta for depression and anxiety with some psychotic-like symptoms. Charles was diagnosed with HIV in 2006 while receiving his test results from a routine HIV test he took on campus as a senior at James Madison University in Harrisonburg, VA. He calls it a gut-wrenching experience because he waited over two hours for his test results. After college, Charles took his first job in public health at Metrolina AIDS Project in Charlotte, NC. He worked as a coordinator for a federally-funded intervention aimed at decreasing the number of new HIV infections among men who have sex with men ages 13-24. Charles says that he is working to change this scenario by sharing his experiences with others who are afraid or in denial of what can happen if they don‘t treasure their lives. “It is now I am beginning to embrace what has happened in my life. I am beginning to take steps to embrace leadership, truth, and the role I play in tackling the HIV pandemic. My voice can be a powerful instrument,” he said.

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