Categories
AFNewsNG Logo
Health Special Report

SO TOUCHING! 'MY MOTHER DIED WITHOUT TELLING ME I HAD HIV' - ACTIVIST, BRIAN OMONDI (READ FULL)

Afnews Editor

Jul 03, 2019

mail
Alot of parents in Kenya took the secret of their HIV status to their graves, leaving their children ignorant and constantly sick.

READ ALSO: 'Buhari Died In London Hospital After Promising Nigerians Quality Healthcare' - Activist Adetoun Attacks Late Ex President

Brian Omondi, who was born with HIV, started taking anti-retroviral (ARV) pills when he was 10. However, it was not until he was 14 when his mother had died that he realised what the pills were for.

READ ALSO: Jim Iyke Sparks Outrage: "Doctors Are Trained Not to Heal - Sickness Is Their BusinessÔÇØ

Now 22, and an HIV activist working with a church group, he says his condition was not picked up at birth. During his early years growing up in Mombasa he remembers being ill often:

READ ALSO: WATCH VIDEO: NLC President, Joe Ajaero Exposes Those Who Beat Him Up In Imo State

"I was sick most of the time but the condition worsened, so my mum decided that I should get tested. That is when I tested positive and started taking the ARVs, but my mum never told me why I was taking those drugs" he said.

READ ALSO: Why Nigeria Must Declare a State of Emergency on Malaria - Hon. Amobi Ogah Reveals at National Retreat

It was when he went to live with his aunt, after his mother died, that neighbours in the close-knit community got wind of his HIV status and his peers began mocking him.

READ ALSO: EDO TSUNAMI: More than 1000 APC Members and leaders defect to PDP

He went on to say, 'parents will often warn their children about playing with those who have HIV. I remember this girl in high school, we met in person and she addressed me as: 'You HIV person.' This hurt me."

READ ALSO: REVEALED: How Common House Rats Can Kill - Shocking Truth Behind Silent Deaths in Nigerian Homes

Omondi however says that he does not blame his mother for not being upfront with him.

READ ALSO: Imo prison attack: IPOB may not be responsible - HURIWA suggests

"I think she could have been open with me but on the other hand I cannot blame her because she was trying to protect me at that age. It is hard!

READ ALSO: How a Nigerian Professor's AI System Could Predict Depression Before Symptoms Emerge

You find that you will be stigmatising yourself, you will be asking yourself some questions like: 'If these people find out about my status how will they take me? How will they treat me?'" (LB)

Related Stories

""

— Afnews Editor

Join the Conversation

Signed in as Member