Episode 13: Faith Challenged - My Husband is More Than a Virus
49 year old Soiesette is HSV2 positive. Our conversation more so focuses on her willingness to continue a marriage with her husband who found out he was HIV positive after going to the doctor for a foot problem he was having that didn't appear to go away.
Soiesette spent the next year going to get tested every three months and by the end was negative for HIV. She accepted her husband's diagnosis and trusted in the vow she made both to the man she married and God. They went through counseling together in order to continue the marriage. With medication and research showing the reduction of risk of transmission, she was willing to go through the process for the sake of her marriage. The one thing that held them back was her husband's mindset of "If I have sex with my wife, I will kill her". For that reason, they parted ways and my homegirl Soiesette is on the market ya'll! They still have a positive relationship with one another.
What I want to highlight here is her husband's mindset about killing his wife if they have sex. This is a normal fear to have. Nobody wants an STI. Nobody wants to pass on an STI to a loved one. We often block our own blessings due to our own stubbornness and we punish ourselves with exile and isolation to a degree even when we don't HAVE to do that. Love is unconditional, we shouldn't block ourselves from this type of loving energy by shutting off to those willing to take the risk with us because we are in fact worth it! I do not know what I'd do in this particular situation even given the knowledge we have now or the medication that reduces the risk. I don't think any of us can say unless we are in this situation. Soiesette obviously felt this man was worth the risk, even though her HSV-2 increased her risk of contracting HIV.
For more information on Soiesette and her involvement in the community, visit: www.agiftofpurpose.com
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