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.

Sattie Nyachwaya is a Patient Care Coordinator in Dallas, TX, and a woman who uses PrEP.