“The HIV diagnosis came as a complete shock to me. As someone who was regularly tested, I couldn’t believe that I was infected. Even though I knew that science was on my side and the diagnosis was not a death sentence, I still went through a serious phase of shock. My body felt dirty. I wanted to crawl out of my skin. It was awful. It was the worst feeling. I remember thinking to myself that I deserved what I got. That it as my fault. As time went on, the shock settled. Today there is still an ebb and flow, but there are some days I literally have to remind myself that I am undetectable. I am as healthy as ever. My body is still a temple, like it always has been –– but now, I am taking much better care of that temple, and I am careful about the precious things that live inside of it. In a way, it could feel almost sad that it took something like the HIV diagnosis to really cherish the body God gave me. But it’s not sad –– in fact, it saved my life.“