Gloria Asuquo tells FRIDAY OLOKOR how she was neglected, humiliated and stigmatised for being HIV positive

My HIV status

I tested positive in 1999 when I was 12 years old. I got infected through blood transfusion in one of the general hospitals in Abuja. I have been warned not to mention the name of the hospital for certain reasons. The former Director-General of the National Agency for the Control of AIDS, Prof. Babatunde Oshotinmehin, is aware of the matter.

How this has affected me

It has affected me a lot. One day will not be enough for me to tell my sad tale. First, the general overseer of my church tried hard to stop me from coming to church. When he did not succeed, he decided to announce my HIV status to the congregation. As a result of this, everybody avoided me whenever I come to church. The GO went further to tell my mother that since she had six children and I was infected with HIV, I should be taken to one of the general hospitals where children like me were abandoned to die. My mother agreed with him. She said it was the right thing to do and tried to persuade my father to toe her line. But he bluntly refused. She was not satisfied and went on to build a separate room for me. She did everything possible to separate me from the family. She would slip my food under the door and I would eat and pass it back to them in the same way. I cried a lot because all entreaties to my mother by some people in NACA fell on deaf ears. The church told my father that the HIV may fly out and infect my siblings. But Dad said he would comply only if the GO uses one of his own children as an experiment. The matter became so serious that one day my mother called me a corpse. All our neighbours learnt of my HIV status through my mother. Nobody came close to me anymore. One day, I broke the window of our house and ran away from home.

My ordeal at home

My dad knew nothing about the ordeal… (See http://www.punchng.com/feature/encounter/i-lived-in-the-bush-for-4yrs-after-testing-hiv-positive-gloria-asuquo/)

This is one sad story. In this age, people don't have a proper understanding of the management of this disease. I can't just think about the problems these ladies suffered. >:

The story is sad indeed. Imagine the role played by the G.O. Where is love?

jhydebaba: The story is sad indeed. Imagine the role played by the G.O. Where is love?

That part is really shocking. What of her Mum?

Na wa ooo, imagine d role d GO played in d stigmatization. He even went ahead to help publicize it making it sounds like d girl gt the virus thru infidelity.

I don't think people are as dumb as they wre ten years ago as it pertains to HIV/AIDS. Though there's still a lot of stigmatization going on. God forbis, if i became an HIV patient i don't think i can tell anyone about it.

afam4eva: I don't think people are as dumb as they wre ten years ago as it pertains to HIV/AIDS. Though there's still a lot of stigmatization going on. God forbis, if i became an HIV patient i don't think i can tell anyone about it.

You may not tell anybody but does that mean that people won't know?
Let me share a story with you. There was this woman who was tested positive n has since been taken her drugs as well as going for regular check up.
One day while at the "heart to heart centre", she met her Pastor's wife there. She was so ashamed of herself and thought her secrets were opened afterall but the question is: what is the Pastor's wife doing at the centre if not to take medication for HIV or to run HIV test?
So, no matter how you keep it, people will still know, think about this scenarios:
1. If you decide to go to the hospital (which is the best) you are going to meet people and accidentally the one who knows you.
2. If you keep it to yourself (which is the worst thing that can happen to you), the virus will weaken your system someday and you will be left at the mercy of people around you.

I think people should stop all this worshipping of religious leaders. I am religious but please I don't take rubbish from anyone.

G.O. don't wanna loose any of his congregation coz of months tithes and other benefits.

99% of our Pastors now are bad example to the people.

Think deep brothers and Sisters.

By the way

Do you think your Mother is supposed to be called mother?

I will better call her THAT WOMAN

maclatunji: I think people should stop all this worshipping of religious leaders. I am religious but please I don't take rubbish from anyone.

abi o,its very sickening and annoying.any smal thing my pastor said i shud marry mr a,mummy g.o said i shud marry mrs b,my pastor said i shud fast,mummy g.o said i should not wear earings,pastor said dis,pastor said dat.how can a pastor who should b a symbol of love encourage stigmatization and even a family.if u cant find love @ home or in church,where d hell can we find love,no wonder we have so many wayward and disrespectful kids out there,i thought ur family members should b ur confidant,but dis story proves me wrong,its very tragic dat in dis day and age some people can stil stigmatize a child dat needs loce,encouragement and support to boost her self esteem.d annoying part of it is dat if dis child bcoms a prostitute tomorow,some idiots will start judging her without knowing dat d people dat were supposed to show her love marginalized her.smh,its such a pity i'm living in a barbaric country.smh

Biggyd2: Gloria Asuquo tells FRIDAY OLOKOR how she was neglected, humiliated and stigmatised for being HIV positive

My HIV status

I tested positive in 1999 when I was 12 years old. I got infected through blood transfusion in one of the general hospitals in Abuja. I have been warned not to mention the name of the hospital for certain reasons. The former Director-General of the National Agency for the Control of AIDS, Prof. Babatunde Oshotinmehin, is aware of the matter.

How this has affected me

It has affected me a lot. One day will not be enough for me to tell my sad tale. First, the general overseer of my church tried hard to stop me from coming to church. When he did not succeed, he decided to announce my HIV status to the congregation. As a result of this, everybody avoided me whenever I come to church. The GO went further to tell my mother that since she had six children and I was infected with HIV, I should be taken to one of the general hospitals where children like me were abandoned to die. My mother agreed with him. She said it was the right thing to do and tried to persuade my father to toe her line. But he bluntly refused. She was not satisfied and went on to build a separate room for me. She did everything possible to separate me from the family. She would slip my food under the door and I would eat and pass it back to them in the same way. I cried a lot because all entreaties to my mother by some people in NACA fell on deaf ears. The church told my father that the HIV may fly out and infect my siblings. But Dad said he would comply only if the GO uses one of his own children as an experiment. The matter became so serious that one day my mother called me a corpse. All our neighbours learnt of my HIV status through my mother. Nobody came close to me anymore. One day, I broke the window of our house and ran away from home.

My ordeal at home

My dad knew nothing about the ordeal… (See http://www.punchng.com/feature/encounter/i-lived-in-the-bush-for-4yrs-after-testing-hiv-positive-gloria-asuquo/)

I don't get it.

First of all, why shouldn't the hospital in question be named and shamed for their apparent incompetence? How many more "mistakes" do they have to make with people's lives before the general public is made aware of their apparent inefficiency?

Secondly, how did the G.O get to know about the girl's HIV status? Is there no such thing as patient confidentiality??

Thirdly, aren't there any awareness campaigns about the disease in Abuja of all places??!! I mean for people to go about with the mindset, believing that HIV is contagious like leprosy?? How ignorant can people be in this day and age?

For what it's worth, I think this story sucks.

Efemena_xy:

I don't get it.

First of all, why shouldn't the hospital in question be named and shamed for their apparent incompetence? How many more "mistakes" do they have to make with people's lives before the general public is made aware of their apparent inefficiency?

Secondly, how did the G.O get to know about the girl's HIV status? Is there no such thing as patient confidentiality??

Thirdly, aren't there any awareness campaigns about the disease in Abuja of all places??!! I mean for people to go about with the mindset, believing that HIV is contagious like leprosy?? How ignorant can people be in this day and age?

For what it's worth, I think this story sucks.

I agree with you. They should name the hospital. Who knows how many other patients were made to suffer like this lady in that hospital. As for the G.O. matter, her mum must have told him everything with the hope that he will pray for her child but...