040: My Life With HIV – W/ Honorine Mbibe ft Dr. Grace Fombad

In honor of World AIDS Day (December 1st), we will talk about living with HIV. HIV/AIDS has always been one of those diseases that has drastically impacted our community and has been around for as long as I can remember. Growing up in Africa, this disease was synonymous to a death sentence and though there have been great strides and advances towards it, there’s still be a tremendous amount of stigma and stereotypical ideation towards it. With so many scientific developments, the prognosis of HIV/AIDS compared to 20+ years ago has drastically improved and there are lots of HIV+ patients who live their lives as normal as any other person who doesn’t have it. So, our purpose on this episode isn’t only to educate our African community about this disease, but to defy the stereotypes surrounding it.

MEET OUR GUEST:

Honorine Mbibe is a 23-year-old student, model, and an adolescent champion. Moreover, she is currently in a modeling competition where her project is to stand for adolescents and young people living with HIV, as well as fight against the stigma surrounding AIDS and discrimination against HIV/AIDS patients.

CONTACT:

Email: honorinembibeh@gmail.com

Things You Will Learn in This Episode:

[00:01 – 07:00] Introduction

• Some statistics on HIV/AIDS
• Introducing the guests

[07:00 – 17:36] Honorine’s Story

• How she found out she was HIV positive
• How she came to accept her status
• Trying to live a life of purpose with an HIV diagnosis
• The harsh reality of stigmatization
• Using her story to impact her community 

[17:36 – 24:22] Advancements in The Fight Against HIV/AIDS

• Dr. Grace Fombad shares her thought on the advancements made through the years
• The importance of sensitization and creating awareness
• Fighting stigmatization against HIV patients
• How Sub-Saharan Africa is fighting HIV/AIDS

[24:22 – 40:28] Honorine’s Therapeutic Regimen and Accessibility of HIV/AIDS Medication

• Honorine talks about how important medication is
• The shortage and accessibility of medications
• Benevolence from international communities

[40:28 – 50:26] The Stigma Associated with HIV

• The lack of empathy towards HIV patients
• The lack of education on the disease
• Dating with HIV

[50:26 – End] Final Words

• The importance of Educating our Community on HIV/AIDS
• Dr. Grace & Anyoh’s last words.

Tweetable Quotes:

“It wasn’t easy growing up knowing that I was HIV positive because I experienced stigma from the society. I was very pale and people around me will be like “you look like an AIDS patient”, even when I [or they] didn’t know my status. This made me go into my shell and just stay there” – Honorine Mbibe

“When the HIV positive diagnosis was disclosed to me, it wasn’t easy, but I had to use it as a stepping stone in my life. I told myself that I would never let others have the wrong information about this disease. So in my domain, I try to educate others on the basics of HIV.” – Honorine Mbibe

“When we stop labeling people and calling people names, then we show love. People commit suicide because they cannot bear the amount of stigma that exists in the community [towards HIV/AIDS]. Showing empathy [towards HIV patients] is very important in every situation and when you show empathy, you show love.” – Dr. Grace Fombad

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You can connect with Anyoh on Facebook (@anyohf), Instagram (@anyohfombad), and Twitter (@anyohfombad).