It started slowly, says Micha, “I just didn’t feel like my normal self. I was having night sweats and lots of stomach pains and things like that. I didn’t want to do anything, and I was always tired.” After suffering for a year, his next step was a Google search—and the slowly dawning realization that he might have HIV/AIDS. Micha, a 32-year-old gay man, had never been tested.
He was scared, but knew he had to face facts. So he started looking for an LGBTQIA+ friendly clinic. “That’s when I came across Nelson-Tebedo,” Micha explains. At the clinic, he tested positive with a Rapid HIV test. “I was a bit overwhelmed because I had just found out,” he recalls, “and from what I’ve learned, most people don’t get to see a doctor that same day.” Micha, sick and exhausted, didn’t fully understand that at Resource Center, he was in good hands.
The staff at Nelson-Tebedo referred Micha to LGBTQ Health, the Center’s primary care practice, where he had an appointment—and started treatment—the very same day.
Now, three months later, Micha continues his medical care at LGBTQ Health. He’s officially HIV “undetectable”—meaning he has a low viral load, and can no longer transmit the virus to others—and enthusiastically pursuing long-term plans. “I was in a bad place but things are looking up for me. Resource Center is really helping me,” Micha says with a smile.
1 out of 4 adults in Dallas don’t have health insurance. Accessible primary healthcare, including HIV/AIDS treatment, can change outcomes and save lives. Right here at home.
