LET ME START BY SAYING THAT THOUGH SKIN-TO-SKIN IS KNOWN TO BE THE SWEETEST BUT I'M TRULY NOT A FAN OF SKIN DIVING(UNPROTECTED SEX) BECAUSE I KNOW HOW THE MERE THOUGHT OF IT SCARES ME, DESPITE THE TEMPTATION. MORE-SO, WHEN I IMAGINE THE RATE OF HIV INFECTION + THE HIGH NUMBER OF PEOPLE LIVING WITH HIV/AIDS WORLDWIDE, THE STIGMA THEY RECEIVE FROM IGNORANT AND INCONSIDERATE PEOPLE,etc I ALWAYS SAY THAT DOING HIV TEST IS LIKE APPLYING FOR A DEATH SENTENCE AND IT'S TRULY A CASE OF HOPING FOR THE BEST BUT EXPECTING THE WORST. THE FIRST TIME I DID A HIV TEST WASN'T ACTUALLY MY DECISION AND IT WAS TRULY A RISK I TOOK BECAUSE IT WAS MY COUSIN(a Medical Lab Scientist) STAYING WITH US THEN WHO COLLECTED MY BLOOD SAMPLE FOR THE USUAL MALARIA AND TYPHOID TESTS BUT INSISTED THAT SHE'D ALSO RUN A HIV TEST. I TRIED CONVINCING HER NOT TO DO IT BUT BECAUSE I KNEW WHAT HAD PREVIOUSLY HAPPENED BEFORE THEN(AND WASN'T TOO SURE OF MYSELF) BUT SHE STUCK TO HER DECISION BECAUSE I KNOW WHAT SHE WANTED TO FIND OUT. FROM THE MORNING OF THAT DAY TILL WHEN SHE RETURNED FROM WORK(THE HOSPITAL), I WAS SERIOUSLY RESTLESS INSIDE, IMAGINING WHAT COULD POSSIBLY HAPPEN IF THE RESULT WAS POSITIVE, HOW MY WHOLE RELATIVES WOULD EVENTUALLY GET TO HEAR OF IT BECAUSE I KNOW HOW SHE TALKS,etc. I WAS CHILLING OUTSIDE WITH MY NEIGHBOURHOOD FRIENDS WHEN SHE PASSED WITH A MOTOR CYCLE TO THE HOUSE, MY HEART ALMOST BLEW OUT OF MY CHEST THAT I HAD TO STAY OUTSIDE TILL NIGHT BEFORE GOING HOME. WHEN I GOT HOME, I WAS SCARED TO ASK HER FOR THE RESULT AND I WAS JUST OBSERVING HER ATTITUDE TOWARDS ME BUT LATER I HAD TO SUMMON COURAGE AND ASKED HER FOR IT. I FELT GREATLY RELIEVED WHEN SHE TOLD ME IT WAS NEGATIVE.

SECOND TIME I EVER DID A HIV TEST WAS DURING MY NYSC IN DELTA STATE. I REFUSED TO DO THE FREE HIV SCREENING THAT WAS CONDUCTED IN CAMP BUT I EVENTUALLY DID IT TWO MONTHS BEFORE MY PASSING OUT BECAUSE OF A GREAT AND DEADLY MISTAKE, AN UNFORTUNATE, UNPLEASANT EXPERIENCE WITH A POLYTECHNIC STUDENT IN THE AREA WHICH WASN'T INTENTIONAL. IT WASN'T A CASE OF A GIRL RAPING A GUY, IT WAS JUST AN ACT IGNORANTLY BUT DELIBERATELY DONE BY HER(needs explanation for better understanding how everything happened), WITHOUT REALISING AND CONSIDERING THE FACT THAT SHE HAD AN STD/STI SHE WAS TREATING, WHICH HAD DEVELOPED ALL OVER HER BUTTOCKS AND LAPS, WITH SKIN PATCHES LOOKING LIKE LESIONS AND SERIOUSLY ITCHING. I DIDN'T KNOW BECAUSE IT WAS ON THE NIGHT OF FEBRUARY 14TH, 2012 AFTER RETURNING FROM VALENTINE GROOVE AND THE ROOM WAS DARK. IT WAS IN THE MORNING THAT I SAW EVERYTHING, SHOCKED AND ASKED HER ABOUT THE INFECTIONS. THOUGH SHE ADMITTED CONTACTING IT FROM THE TOILET WHEN SHE WENT TO VISIT HER GRANDMOTHER BUT CONSIDERING(not judging) HER previous LIFESTYLE, I WAS STILL SCARED AND DOUBTING. I DIDN'T LEAVE HER; I STARTED ENLIGHTENING HER ON THE LITTLE I KNEW ABOUT HIV/AIDS, THE DANGERS OF UNPROTECTED SEX WHICH WE WERE BOTH GUILTY OF AND I DISCOVERED HOW IGNORANT SHE WAS ABOUT THESE. THOUGH I HELPED HER GET DRUGS FOR TREATMENT BUT I ALSO PERSUADED HER TO GO FOR THOROUGH TESTS(including HIV), AFTER WHICH SHE PERSONALLY TREATED HERSELF. IT TOOK ME THREE SILENTLY-AGONIZING MONTHS TO WAIT BEFORE GOING FOR HIV 1 & 2 SCREENING. USED DIFFERENT NAMES BECAUSE I DIDN'T WANT TO BE IDENTIFIED AND REMEMBERED AS THE CORPER WHO CAME TO SERVE AND GOT INFECTED WITH HIV. ALMOST EVERYDAY I STAYED ON GOOGLE, BROWSING THE EARLY SYMPTOMS OF HIV IN THE FIRST FEW WEEKS. I'LL STAY IN MY ROOM ROLLING ON MY BED, CRYING AND BEGGING GOD THAT THE GIRL'S INFECTION SHOULDN'T BE HIV AND I SHOULDN'T HAVE IT. I WAS ALSO MONITORING THE GIRL'S HEALTH TO KNOW IF THERE WAS ANY EARLY SIGN OF HIV(particularly fever). AFTER THE THIRD MONTH, I WAS IN SCHOOL WITH MY FELLOW CORP MEMBERS THE VERY DAY I DECIDED TO GO FOR THE TEST. WE WERE ALL IN THE STAFF ROOM BUT I QUIETLY LEFT THEM TO GO TO THE LAB I HAD ALREADY DISCOVERED. I HAD TO USE A DIFFERENT NAME BECAUSE I DIDN'T WANT TO IDENTIFIED AND REMEMBERED AS THE CORPER WHO CAME TO SERVE IN THEIR COMMUNITY AND GOT INFECTED WITH HIV. I WAS SERIOUSLY PRAYING WITHIN ME AND MY HEART WAS POUNDING HEAVILY BUT THE LAB SCIENTIST HAD TO CALM ME DOWN WITH HIS WORDS OF HOPE. AFTER THE WHOLE TEST, HE CAME OUT AND GAVE ME THE RESULT WITH A LOOK OF HOPE. AS HE TOLD ME IT WAS NEGATIVE, I JUST KNELT DOWN ON THE FLOOR OF THE LAB WITH MY TWO HANDS RAISED UP IN THANKS TO GOD. HE STARTED LAUGHING BUT NI DIDN'T CARE BECAUSE I REMEMBERED A FRIEND TELLING ME HOW HE WAS ACTUALLY DROPPING TEARS FROM HIS EYES THE DAY HE WENT FOR HIS OWN TEST WHEN HE WAS SERVING IN NIGER STATE.

I KNOW EVEN CONDOMS DON'T GUARANTEE 100 PERCENT PROTECTION AND SOMETIMES CONDOMS COULD ALSO TEAR(); I ALSO KNOW FAITHFULNESS TO 1 PARTNER(aside other means of HIV infection) COULD BE A SOLUTION BUT THAT'S DEFINITELY NOT A GUARANTEE BECAUSE EVEN YOUR BOO COULD STILL HAVE A BOO WHO MAY NOT BE CAREFUL AND FAITHFUL IN HIS SEXUAL LIFE. THOUGH ABSTINENCE STILL REMAINS THE BEST AND MOST DIFFICULT TO PRACTISE ESPECIALLY IN THIS PRESENT GENERATION BUT FINALLY, NA ONLY GOD DEY SAVE MAN

Lmao