But I’m Still Here… The Bravery of Living with HIV for Over 40 Years

But I’m Still Here…

The Bravery of Living with HIV for Over 40 Years

March 24, 2026

By Joanna LaBelle

My journey started with a positive diagnosis for HIV in 1983. It left me thinking I was going to die tomorrow.

Stigma said if you were HIV+ that you were going to die. Society was confirming that I was going to die, too, and people were actually dying everywhere from the disease. I was thinking I was next.

I was lost trying to seek solutions, and I chose to get high with [read more]

Not on the Syllabus: STIs on College Campuses

March 23, 2026

By Brielle Collins

In the midst of exams, situationships, and extracurriculars, the last thing a college student wants to hear back from a doctor is: you have a sexually transmitted infection (STI). Alongside the possible physical discomfort and somewhat awkward conversation with your physician to discuss the diagnosis, there is the need to have a conversation with your partner. However, what often also comes along with these responsibilities is carrying the stigma of having an STI, and there really should not be, because most people carrying STIs are [read more]