Life is a gift. It is a precious gift we all take for granted. This isn’t a knock on anyone in particular, it just is something we don’t really think about, the same as breathing or waking up in the morning. We don’t really think about these things, but in all honesty, it is something we should. To be alive. To live and to love. To see the great wonders of the world and to experience life is truly the best gift of all. While we all feel pain, sadness and guilt at different parts of our life, it does not undo that we are alive and can feel the world around us. It is sad that not all of us are able to open up to the world, but after I learned of my HIV, it made me look at life and realize that, up to that point in time, I had taken it all for granted, and after I moved past the sudden shock and depression of the diagnosis, I decided to never take life for granted ever again.

Of course, I did take out some protective measures, such as life insurance, to ensure my family can continue living their lives in peace and comfort. After all, while I might have to live with HIV, there is no reason they should feel the side effects after I am gone.

Yes, it is true, nobody actually wants HIV. I didn’t wake up one morning and think "You know, I really hope the doctor tells me today that I have HIV." However, that simply is not how life works. You are tossed a curve ball, and while there are things I wish I would not have done to contract the virus, knowing that I have HIV is something that has totally and completely changed my life, for the better.

Before HIV, I would take for granted the time spent with my family. If my mom called on the phone, maybe I’d answer, or maybe not. I’d often avoid spending time with my sisters, simply because I did not want to hear about their days and have to deal with them complaining about what happened at work (even though they have husb ands for this). I’d also back out on my friends all the time, simply because I had a sudden change of heart. However, HIV has given me a sudden change of heart. I now look forward to the conversations, spend more time with my friends, and even talk to them about everything from sports to life insurance, because I want to make sure we are close and I don’t miss out on the important things in life, which is ultimately the people.

I always knew the importance of life insurance, how it is in place to protect your loved ones in the event if your death, but despite knowing the importance of it, I never actually went out and obtained it, at least until I was told I had HIV. That is something you never expect to hear, but is something that truly changes the way you think and feel about your life. HIV is one of those things that you have heard so much about on the news, in the movies and with other programming and material. However, while it is serious and you have to live with it for the rest of your life, it is not something that is going to completely stop your life and prevent you from living it. I have been living with HIV for three years now, and while I am still new to it, I underst and the need to have life insurance in order to protect my family.

I do not want my family to suffer through having to pay for my medical expenses and my final costs. As long as I can prevent the HIV from developing further, it is something that I know I can live with, but I still want to protect my family with the help of the life insurance.

When I tell people I’m HIV positive, people seem to think my life is completely out of whack and I must live in a super sterol hospital room, afraid to go outside and become sick. They also assume that I have to take a few hundred pills a day and must just sit around in a hospital gown as well. However, while I do take a few pills in the morning and before meals, my life really is not all that different from anyone else. In fact, I might go out on a limb to actually say my life is better.

When I wake up, I get out of bed, shower and get dressed just like everyone else. I drive to work just like everyone else and I have my own life insurance policy, just like anyone else might want to do. However, having HIV has allowed me to take stock in my life and look at what is important. I don’t spend full days just sitting on the couch any longer. Instead, I get outside, ride a bike, hang out with my friends or just do little things that most people take for granted, but I know is important, because life and the people you live it with are the most important people in the entire world.

HIV is one of those things that as soon as you say it, people already have a stigma against you. It’s kind of like when you were five years old and you said the girl across the room had cooties. People just want to stay away from you, and while they don’t come right out and say it, you can simply see it in their eyes that they don’t want to catch it and almost believe that it can jump from my body to theirs. it has been a bit of a process, but now I am doing more with my life than I ever have before. I am also protecting my family by taking advantage of a life insurance policy.

This is something I would recommend anyone who has received word of an HIV diagnosis. While modern medicine has made it that much more possible to live a healthy life, you truly do not know what life might bring, which is true for anyone. And nobody really wants their family to be forced to front cash for their final expenses or fall into debt. I know my expenses are likely going to be expensive, which is why I want to protect everyone in my family with the life insurance. It just is the right thing to do for them.