Death by Denial Living with AIDS

HIV-related fear has led society to deny the presence of this deadly virus that sits at our doorstep. This, despite the collective risk we face with the silent spread of this killer.

Many believe this denial comes from a general lack of knowledge despite the availability of information.

Bahamians, young and old, are slowly dying.

The following are the stories of people who are now living or lived at the All Saints Camp at some point in their lives and denied that they were infected with the disease.

Dawn Darling is living with the HIV virus and has been for nine years. She is lives at the All Saints Camp. Not only has the disease attacked her body, but it is attacking her mind. She is slowly losing the ability to function normally.

Dawn's Story

I used to fight a lot, I never wanted to listen to anybody or anything like that, but things change, now I don't get into trouble.

I was 14 when I contracted HIV, but I moved into the All Saints Camp only a couple of months ago.

I went to the doctor for a regular checkup and he told me I had it. My mummy was crying and beating me and stuff because she was scared and my sister was scorning me. I dropped out of school because I couldn't keep a 1.0 grade point average. Things have changed now.

I have a daughter and my sister comes here to see me once in a while. When she comes she brings my daughter, mostly on holidays and birthdays. I came here because I didn't have anywhere else to go. None of my family wanted me living with them and people used to scorn me and make fun of me and stuff.

Living here I appreciate the small things in life that everybody else takes for granted. I have everything I need here: lotion, clothes, soap, a television and a radio.

My daughter is three and she isn't sick. She lives with my sister because I can't afford to take care of it. Her father has it but he didn't get it from me; he got it from another girl.

I don't work outside the camp. I work in the office, clean the yard, work in the kitchen and help out wherever else I am needed... I need things to do but everything is so hard. I don't get sick often but I have headaches sometimes. The only medication I take is for my headaches.

Some people treat me bad and some people treat me good. People who I knew before don't check for me anymore, they talk about me but other than that everyone here is treating me good.

I miss going out. When I go out people still scorn me but I don't check. I miss going to church and to the mall and stuff, but people would laugh at me and scorn me. I don't know why they do this.

I don't think I am any different from anybody else. It makes me sad, but I don't cry no more. I don't check. I am happy now.