Possible to live a normal life with HIV, says Sudburian with the virus

When Kathy Savage was diagnosed with HIV 10 years ago she was devastated.

"I was a former drug user and I contracted it through a person I was using with, not knowing she had it," she said. "So when I found out, I was quite devastated because I found out that I had Hep C at the same time."

After she was diagnosed, Savage said she had to take a cocktail of drugs every day to manage the virus.

"I was sick for a long time," she said. "I lost a lot of weight. I was down to like 98 pounds."

But a newer treatment called U = U, which stands for undetectable equals untransmittable, has changed her life.

Savage now only needs to take one pill per day, which suppresses her viral load.

"I've been undetectable for the last two years," she said. "It's awesome."

That means the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) is no longer detected in her system, and she cannot transmit it to others. 

The change has meant she is now able to be intimate with her boyfriend, without the fear of passing on the virus. 

It has also given her the courage to speak out as someone with HIV.

While she said stigma still exists against those who are HIV-positive, Savage said it's possible to live a normal life thanks to medical advancements.

HIV awareness

To recognize HIV Awareness Week, Sudbury's Réseau ACCESS Network, a non-profit organization which promotes wellness and harm reduction for people living with HIV/AIDS and Hepatitis C, is sharing the latest advancements in prevention and treatment of the disease.

"With treatment, someone living with HIV can live a very long, healthy life that helps them remove some of the stigma associated with HIV, as well as family planning," said Angel Riess, an education and communications coordinator with the organization.

In addition to the U = U treatment, Riess said there is also a drug called an oral pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) that can minimize the risk of contracting HIV.

The medication is meant for people who are at a higher risk of contracting the virus, such as drug users, or someone in a relationship with an HIV-positive partner. 

But while newer medications can be life-changing for people who are HIV-positive, Riess said there are still barriers that can prevent access to those drugs.

"So sometimes it's the cost of treatment or information barriers," she said. "The social determinants of health can play a role in someone being able to reach the undetectable viral load, as well as structural inequities."