#AskTheHIVDoc: Finding your inner strength

#AskTheHIVDoc is a series of short explainer videos from Greater Than HIV featuring top HIV doctors covering all aspects of HIV from prevention (including PrEP) to diagnosis, care and treatment, as well as the basics.

In this installment, Dr. David Malebranche, MD, MPH, explains terms like CD4 and T-Cell, viral load and HIV undetectable. He also covers the basics of HIV treatment – why it matters, how it works, when to start – as well as covers getting into care and finding support.

These videos are provided for educational purposes and not a substitute for professional medical advice. Always consult your healthcare provider before making any healthcare decisions or for guidance about a specific medical condition.

TRANSCRIPT:
The unfortunate reality in this country is that there's a lot of discrimination. So it sometimes can feel like a burden to be a black man. To be a same gender loving man. And then to add on top of that to be living with HIV. It's one of the toughest things that any of us could possibly be charged to live with.

You've overcome a lot of other things up to this point, so you can get through this.
This is your journey. And so there's going to be a moment where you have to find that inner strength. You have to find that inner resilience to fight against things.

To take your medications every day. You are valuable. You do deserve the best healthcare, you do deserve to live out all the dreams you had in your life. You are entitled to the proper health care and you are entitled to live all your dreams out to the best of your abilities and HIV is not going to stop you from doing that. So just know how valuable you are, how beautiful you are, and how HIV is not to change any of that and you're going to be just fine.