LIVING WITH HIV
I DECIDED THAT I WANT TO LIVE - EVEN IF I DO HAVE HIV

Article and photos: Supt Erica Holtzhausen

Below : Deputy National Commissioner Mala Singh delivered the key note address at the ceremony and is seen here lighting the candle of a pupil of the Montheong Primary School.
 

Ironically, Criselda Kananda’s “death sentence” was given to her by her doctor while a new life was growing inside her. Chriselda was seven months pregnant when she went for routine tests and asked that a HIV-test be included. When the HIV-test proved positive, her doctor wanted to perform an abortion. According to him, the baby had a survival chance of only six months and he also did not give Chriselda much more than two years to live. That was six years ago.

Beautiful and brave Chriselda told the story of her life in a packed-to-the-brim Community Hall at the Training College in Pretoria during the Head Office HIV/AIDS Candle Light Memorial Service on Thursday, 12 May 2005. Chriselda, who has a medical background, was a happily married woman at the time she received the news of her HIV-status and she certainly was not prepared for the shock. Because Chriselda had no counselling before the test, she was not psychologically prepared for the results of the test and of course, she was horrified. She did not, for one moment, seriously consider an abortion, but she did frantically run around to various doctors - ranging from traditional doctors to specialists of all sorts - in an effort to find help. It took time before Chriselda realized that a drastic change of lifestyle was her only hope.

She realized that to survive, her immune system would have to be built up extremely well so that it would be able to fight various viral infections. She also realized that with the correct information at hand, she would be able to live a happy and healthy life for many years to come. She decided that she was not ready to die, because God had bigger plans for her. Chriselda, in fact, decided to live a positive life. She turned HIV into Health is Vital.

Through wanting to be alive, Chriselda saved her own life and her baby’s life. Today, Chriselda is a successful businesswoman and her little daughter, (whom she calls her bundle of joy) is going to Grade I next year.

Chriselda says there are no quick fixes for HIV/AIDS. It is a disease which has to be managed, just as diabetes or tuberculosis has to be managed. It is really all about being sensible. It merely makes sense to know your status - not for the SAPS, not for anyone else, but for yourself.

Once you know your status, you can act on that knowledge. If you are HIV-negative, you can do everything in your power to stay that way. In other words, you can practise safe sex and wear safety gloves in dangerous situations at work. If you test HIV-positive, you must equip yourself with knowledge and build up your body to be as healthy as possible through diet, exercise and some home remedies. You have to maintain a healthy mind by dealing with stress and emotions effectively and you have to keep a healthy soul by healing your spirit. You also need to learn to be deaf when people around you are negative.

It also makes sense to surround yourself with happy and supportive people. Of course there will be good days and there will be bad days. There will be times when you want to turn around, pack it up and call it quits. At those times you need to tell yourself that you are not afraid to learn, that by trying and working through it, you can do it. You must believe in the incredible power of the human mind. There is only one you and while you are here, you must try and make all the difference you can to brighten the lives of the people around you.

Light is hope and hope is life... A sea of candles
turning remembrance into action at the
Head Office HIV/AIDS
Candle Light Memorial Service 2005.
 

Deputy National Commissioner (Dr) Mala Singh
and Div Comm Magda Stander spreading
the light to other members of top management.