From day one.

My name is Maria. I'm 25 years old, and I guess you could say HIV/AIDS is all I've ever known. I was born with HIV but did not show any signs of it until I was 5 years old. My parents were also diagnosed with the virus at this time. I had a normal childhood except for the fact that I had to take medicine and go to the doctor all the time. However, I had everything a "normal" child could ever want.

It wasn't until I turned 11 years old before I began to understand the disease my parents and I shared. That was the same year my mother had been hospitalized for an extended period of time. Then the day came that I always dreaded and will never forget. My father came home and told me that my mom had passed away. I was devastated, and I cried for what felt like eternity. Only 6 short months later, my aunt gave me the news of my father's passing. It was as if he could not hold on to life without his beloved wife. At that moment, I felt dismal and everything seemed surreal. With my mother's death earlier that year, I realized this disease would take my father as well, but I never imagined it would happen so soon. I went through the funeral hardly shedding a tear. Not because I did not love my parents, but because I loved them so much that I became numb. I was more upset that they left me here alone.

Although I was so young when these 2 life-changing events happened, I remember saying to myself, "what's done is done, just move on with life." And that's exactly what I did. My dad arranged for me to live with my aunt, uncle, and cousins. I continued to go to school and do all the same things I was doing before. It was difficult to adjust to living with my aunt and uncle because they were more strict than my parents ever were. However, over time I adjusted and even ended up learning a lot from my aunt. She taught me how to cook, clean, and do my own laundry; all the things that my mother had always done for me. My aunt also took me to church every Sunday, and I chose to be baptized at the age of 12. I graduated from high school in 1999 with all the same dreams and goals that my friends and peers had, such as college, marriage, children, a career, and more.

Because of the great medical advances of today, those dreams and goals are all possible. When I was first diagnosed as a child with the virus that causes AIDS, my doctors never expected me to live to the age of 18 much less 25. Now, I have made a living for myself. I own a home and a car, I have 2 dogs, and I have attended college. I also have the most wonderful support system anyone could ever ask for. I have a wonderful family, marvelous friends, and a loving boyfriend of 2 years. They have all been completely supportive, and they are all there for me 100% of the time. I always have someone there when I am sick, when I am healthy, for holidays and birthdays, or whenever I just want to talk. I couldn't ask for more.

I think HIV/AIDS today is a lot different from when I was younger. Back in those days, many people lacked knowledge of what the disease was and how it could be contracted. But now, despite fairly widespread knowledge of the virus, the stigma of HIV/AIDS still exists. People are likely to stereotype others living with the disease as homosexuals, prostitutes, or drug users. I personally have not had any negative responses when telling people I have HIV, but I can read the curiosity on their faces: wondering about my parents and who they were.

I don't look at this disease as a death sentence anymore; it is more like a disability I can cope with. I'm just a young women living with HIV, and I plan to live a long, happy, and healthy life.

Maria Velasquez works as a case manager at the People with AIDS Coalition-Houston.