My name is Sattie Nyachwaya. I am 29 years old and live in Dallas, TX. I am a Patient Care Coordinator and the HIVE blogs touched my heart so much that I wanted to share my story with you. I have been working in the pharmacy/healthcare field for over two years and I have learned over time about PrEP and HIV. Throughout the years, I thought that PrEP wasn’t a option for me. One, I wasn’t actively having sex with anyone or multiple partners… Two, I thought that I knew where every one of my partners had been.. and three, I was just scared to find out the unknown that would change my life forever. You see, a few years before this (five years before), I met a man online who had disclosed his HIV status to me after confessing that he wanted to openly date me. He advised me that he could pay for a pill for me to get on and that we could be together and have babies. Because I was so close-minded, I completely cut him off without explanation, thinking that I didn’t want a pill to die, thinking why on earth would someone do something like that? I even remember saying that he should not be online dating people who are not HIV positive. Over the last year, I decided to have a change of heart. I work with five men who are a part of the LGBT community; they have opened my eyes to a lot of things and perspectives on HIV and PrEP. I am a Black, heterosexual woman who only has had a few partners and I choose to use condoms. But because I have chosen to do online dating, I do not know every single person’s status nor do I always ask if they have been tested. After reevaluating my choices and lifestyle, I know now that choosing to take PrEP was the right decision. PrEP changed my heart, it made me realize that I love myself enough to care enough about my health. Although my story is nowhere near compared to the others, I feel that there are many women out there who believe and think the same as I did. I wish I could tell that man, I’m sorry. He just wanted to love me. These HIVE Blogs give me hope not only to break stigma, but to reach all women everywhere.
