Sandra Ford’s journey with HIV is a poignant tale of betrayal, resilience, and ultimately, empowerment. Her story is a reminder of the complexities and challenges faced by individuals living with HIV, especially when trust is shattered.
Ford’s encounter with HIV began in a way no one should ever experience. She trusted someone she grew up with, someone she considered family, only to find out that he had knowingly infected her with HIV. This revelation turned her life upside down. As a single mother of two young children, Ford was suddenly thrust into a world she knew little about, filled with fear, anger, and uncertainty.
“The gentleman… the man that infected me… he knew that he was positive. Matter of fact, his whole family knew that he was positive,” Ford recalls. “But unbeknownst to me, he was HIV-positive and had been HIV-positive for quite some time.”
She went for a checkup a year later and tested positive for HIV. The only person she had been with was him, and he initially denied it. It was only during a meeting with counselors and health department officials that he admitted to knowingly infecting her.
The initial shock and anger Ford felt after learning the truth about her diagnosis are understandable. She describes herself as an “angry Black woman,” grappling with the betrayal not just from the man who infected her, but from all men. This emotional turmoil led her to spiral out of control, symbolized by her decision to cut off all her hair—an act often associated with drastic change or loss.
However, amidst the darkness, a glimmer of hope emerged in the form of a man named John Reed. He saw something in Ford that she couldn’t see in herself at the time. His support and belief in her helped Ford begin to turn her life around. She found strength in her children, realizing that she needed to shape up for their sake.
“When I looked at my children, I knew that I had to shape up,” Ford reflects. “He gave me an opportunity to get it off my chest one Sunday at church, and I’ve been running my mouth ever since.”
Ford’s journey to acceptance and empowerment did not happen overnight. It was a gradual process, marked by moments of introspection and self-realization. She acknowledges her role in the situation, recognizing that she must take some responsibility for her choices, including the decision to stop using condoms at her partner’s suggestion.
“Life goes on… here I am, still standing, still in the fight against HIV and AIDS,” Ford says. “And I believe that one day there’s gonna be a
