Jennifer Reeves
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13 Quotes About Being HIV+ That Will Help Break The Stigma Of Being Poz
Learning that you’re Poz can be a scary moment, but it isn’t a death sentence. This is one of the most crucial takeaways so many members of the community want to share with those who have recently been, will one day be, or know someone who has been diagnosed. The reality is that being HIV+ is not…
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How LáDeia Joyce Took An HIV+ Diagnosis And Turned It Into Her Life’s Mission
For LáDeia Joyce, being diagnosed with HIV was a total shock. After all, she was the girl who had a full panel STI/STD screening every quarter. However, after a few weeks of upper respiratory symptoms that were too intense to ignore, LáDeia got tested for HIV, and came back with some surprising news. “It sucked…
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Shatece Haynes Shows What A Day In The Life Looks Like As Someone With HS
Living with an autoimmune disease is no easy thing — especially when it impacts your skin. There’s no question that living with Hidradenitis Suppurativa impacts almost every aspect of your daily life, from getting dressed to going out to dating and all the small moments in between. Shatece Haynes, influencer and HS advocate, is here…
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Songwriter Jackson Gillies Shares An Average Day Living With Hidradenitis Suppurativa
Perhaps you’ve watched him on American Idol. Maybe you love his music, or his writing. If, by chance, you were in the audience when he gave an inspiring TED talk about living with an autoimmune condition, you’ll know that Jackson Gillies is no ordinary singer and songwriter. Jackson has Hidradenitis Suppurativa, a condition that is relatively unknown,…
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How Loïs Mills, Blogger And Crohn’s Advocate, Spends An Average Day
Loïs Mills, author of the blog Gut Instinct, is known for honestly sharing the truth of her life as a blogger, media professional and 20-something with Crohn’s. When she first began writing about her journey in 2016, she did so after having realized that there were few positive and inspiring stories about what day-to-day life can look…
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Jalissa Brown On Finding The Strength To Share What Life Is Like With Hidradenitis Suppurativa
For Jalissa Brown, Hidradenitis Suppurativa began as it does for so many young people: subtly, and right around her pre-teen years. “I started getting my symptoms when I started getting my menstrual cycle, and sometimes with hormones triggering HS,” she shared. “But I didn’t take initiative until it became a recurring thing, and by my senior…
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How Micah Norgard Used Holistic Wellness To Help Him Thrive Through His HIV+ Diagnosis
For Micah Norgard, finding out that he was HIV+ was preluded by what many report experiencing: an ongoing, and particularly bad, flu.
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N.L. Holley Shares How He Transformed Shame Into Empowerment After Being Diagnosed With HIV
“I have always been very tuned into my body,” Nathaniel Holley, known to his readers as N.L. Holley, says of his HIV+ diagnosis. “Therefore, I knew something different was happening inside.” It was a cool fall day in 2012 that he was officially informed of his status as Poz. After discovering that his face had…
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How This TikToker Used A Viral Trend To Spread Awareness About HS
Though Hidradentinitis Supparativa is certainly no laughing matter, Avery Love has found a way to share the reality of living with HS in a way that just might be the most relatable of all: a TikTok trend. Avery, who is from Greensboro, North Carolina, and will be attending college at UNC Chapel Hill next year,…
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Kayla Liptrot Explains How To Find Self-Love Despite An HS Diagnosis
“For 7 years I thought I was disgusting, or that something was genuinely wrong with me,” Kayla Liptrot, known to her friends as Kells, began in a vulnerable Instagram post. “Which I know now is far from the truth, this condition that made me feel dirty and worthless finally had a name and has actual…
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Jude Duncan On Why Psoriasis Is So Much More Than A Cosmetic Issue
When 27-year-old Jude Duncan first discovered she had Psoriasis, it started innocuously enough. “I had just started my third year at university and noticed a small red mark growing above my left eyebrow,” she explained. “I wasn’t sure what it was and went to the doctor after a few weeks when it didn’t go away.…
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Raif Derrazi Is Living Proof That It’s Possible To Thrive With An HIV+ Diagnosis
“HIV is just a silly little virus,” Raif Derrazi begins. “It consists of tiny specks of organic matter trying to live just like any other kind of life. That’s it. It’s not good or bad. It doesn’t carry any meaning. Its presence in our body is not a reflection of our self-worth, or whether we deserve…
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How Yalon Hutchinson Turned A Decade-Long Battle With HS Into Her Life Purpose
Yalon Hutchinson’s battle with Hidradenitis Suppurativa started when most people’s do, around age 15. As a sophomore in high school, Yalon was on a field trip when she recalls feeling a strange sensation on her inner thigh. “I had never felt this before,” she shared. She said that she started to see a bump growing…
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How Selina Ferragamo Is Using Humor To Raise Awareness For Hidradenitis Suppurativa
For Selina Ferragamo, being diagnosed with Hidradenitis Suppurativa was not a straightforward task. The 25-year-old native Long Islander, who is currently a student and graphic artist, first started getting symptoms around 10th grade. “The flares would come and go away on their own, so I thought it was just razor bumps,” she explained. “Eventually, the…
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Maggie McGill Isn’t Afraid To Share The Reality Of Life With Hidradenitis Suppurativa
Maggie McGill was only 19-years-old when she first noticed painful bumps between her thighs. “I was working at a outdoor summer camp and the sweat and friction from walking outside worsened my symptoms. I felt very alone and embarrassed,” she explained. Despite being certain she had HS, it was years before she had an official…
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Chloé Longuet Wants To Dispel The Myths Surrounding HS: “The Pain Is Not In Your Head”
For Chloé Longuet, her very first experience with HS happened around the summer of 2007. “I remember having what was a pimple, smack in the middle of my chest, small and located right at my bra band. It hurt. The water stung, touching it hurt, blowing on it hurt,” she explained. “At the end of…
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Leigh Owens Is Changing The Way The World Sees HIV+ Women
“Never in a million years did I think that I would be part of that statistic.” Leigh Owens, a native Californian, says that growing up on the West Coast in the 80s, she had always heard about the HIV crisis, but never imagined that she’d be personally impacted by it. Today, she wants to change…
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Fitness Coach Carly-Ann Dell Is No Longer Letting An Endo Diagnosis Control Her Life
From the time she was a teenager, personal trainer and fitness coach Carly-Ann Dell knew that something was wrong with her health — but she didn’t know what. “I couldn’t figure out why I was in pain all of the time, why my cycles caused me to get physically ill, why my stomach would stick out…