The yoke of shame
City Press
3 February 2013
I first heard about Aids in a magazine. I was nine years old and reading through things that many people thought my mother should not be letting me read.
That article taught me two things: that this disease was scary, dangerous, and that I needed to be careful with my blood.
I will never forget a conversation I had with my mum soon after that. She had asked me if I knew what Aids was and I proceeded to wow her with my knowledge. I was chuffed with myself for having read that article and remembering enough for my mum to be taken by surprise at how much I knew.
Fast-forward a few months and I found myself sitting in a hospital room with my mother, my twin sisters and a decidedly uncomfortable-looking doctor. I immediately recognised the moment as one of those many awkward situations where my mother was forcing adults to allow me into conversations that they felt I had no business being part of because of my age...read the full article
blog comments powered by Disqus
