Briskila Solomon

Briskila Solomon’s husband died of HIV/AIDS a few years ago. She was shortly afterward diagnosed with the virus. Although the death of her heartthrob from complications because of HIV devastated her, she was ready to live even if it meant trudging on. “Immediately my husband died, a doctor here (Bauchi Specialist Hospital) advised me to go for HIV test. I went for the test and the result revealed that I also have the virus. It was not a surprise since that is what killed my husband,” she says.

Naturally, Briskila was sad with the result of her test. “I was really disappointed and helpless. I did not find it easy initially but I prayed to God to help me. God’s grace and the counseling that I received from this doctor encouraged me to carry on with life regardless of the challenges accompanying my new status.”

Some of the challenges she feared and which she has been able to subdue largely include uncertainties associated with living with HIV and stigmatization from family members, friends and colleagues. “I am not ashamed of my status because my three children know about my status, the same with some of my neighbors and colleagues in my workplace, who have been very caring.”

Briskila, who has been living with HIV for almost nine years, notes that her status breaks barriers in relating with People Living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHA) in Bauchi Specialist Clinic where she is the Chief Nursing Officer of the ART Clinic. “I counsel them with example of myself. This makes them to relax. In fact I requested to work in that department in order to share my experience.”

Her initial CD4 count of 90 has given way for a count of 600. Thanks to the drugs she assesses free at IHVN supported Bauchi Specialist Clinic in Bauchi, Nigeria. Briskilla now counsels others to adhere to their drugs as well as tracks defaulters, conducts health education, and visits to homes of PLWHA.