A woman shared that a one-night encounter during Antigua Carnival left her pregnant and HIV positive, urging revellers to prioritise safe sex and make informed decisions this Carnival season.
SOURCE WIC Written by Sasha Baptiste
Antigua and Barbuda: This Carnival season marks one year since a woman’s life changed forever, as she shared her story on social media in the hope that it saves someone else from the same fate.
It began on Carnival Monday, she said as she met a man while playing mass, and the two hit it off immediately. He told her he was Antiguan but was based in Florida and they both were caught up in the excitement of the season and a night of drinking following which they spent the night together.
When Carnival ended, he returned to Florida. Before that night, she had not been sexually active for almost a year. She had also recently completed a full round of medical screening, including an HIV test, as part of a routine check-up and an insurance medical examination. Every result came back normal.
A few months later, she discovered she was pregnant. Living with PCOS, she had never believed she could conceive, so the news brought her overwhelming joy.
By the time she found out, she was already four months along. She had experienced no morning sickness and none of the typical signs of pregnancy.
That joy was short-lived. Routine bloodwork carried out during her prenatal care revealed she was HIV positive.
She was still in contact with the man at the time and told him about everything, her HIV diagnosis and her pregnancy. He did not react with shock. He said he would call her back. However, he never did.
She tried reaching him through her personal number, her workplace number, and other lines. She messaged him on Instagram and Facebook. Nothing worked. His number had changed, and she has not been able to reach him since.
What followed was one of the darkest periods of her life. She battled depression and said she felt completely broken. The one thing that kept her going was the child she was carrying.
Today, she is grateful to share that her daughter was born HIV negative. She describes her daughter as the reason she is still here, saying that at her lowest point, she did not believe she could keep going.
As Carnival returns, she wants her experience to serve as a warning. She is urging revellers not to let alcohol, excitement, or the energy of the moment cloud their judgement.
Protect yourself. Make informed decisions. Know who you are with, and never assume someone is safe simply because they say so and seem trustworthy.
One night, she says, can change the course of an entire life. She cannot undo what happened to her, but if her story leads even one person to make a safer choice this Carnival season, she says sharing it will have been worth it.
People across the internet have read her story as they have also shared their support for the woman through the comment section.
A user commented, “It takes a lot of courage to do what you’ve just done. So sorry that this happened, so sad. But as you say by sharing your experience if even it reaches one person who avoids something similar than you really have done something truly remarkable Keep your head up and stay strong and thanks for sharing”
Another user commented, “This story highlights how a single unprotected encounter during Carnival can lead to life-altering consequences, including an unexpected HIV diagnosis and pregnancy. It’s Carnival baby and when the alcohol is in, the underwear comes off. Alcohol clouds judgment, and when your judgement is clouded, the importance of barrier protection, and the critical need to verify a partner’s sexual health status is reduced. These things happen yearly and many learn the hard way. Fun and frolic normally ends in sickness, worries and disaster. After Carnival stories are always intriguing.”
Furthermore, if you are sexually active, getting tested regularly and being upfront with partners about status are still the strongest ways to protect yourself and the people you’re with. Please stay safe this Carnival season.
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What am I reading?
With all the prior global warnings about the dangers of promiscuous behaviour that can lead to Sexual Transmitted Diseases (STD’s) and HIV, people are still taking chances that can cause irreparable harm to themselves and their loved ones.
When oh when are people going to understand that casual sex and one-night stands can seriously effect ones health.
Many serial playboys can “talk the hind legs off a donkey”, that’s why women must test these men by staying celibate for at least 3 months, finding out more about them before succumbing to their inevitable charms.
With this particular young lady, the mix of alcohol and revelry played a large part without doubt. However, with her disease and pregnancy this is a hard life lesson to learn. So sad really!
Hopefully though, other women reading this, will be made more aware of the pitfalls and dire consequences of playing around with male equivalent of “harbour sharks”… and there’s plenty ah dem out de on the prowl…
This post will surely enlightened people who clearly have no conscience
RISE tomorrow night I know plenty YOLO gonna happen…. Be careful folks…..
Thanks for sharing this story. I love that she has taken responsibility for her own behaviour.
You have to protect yourself! Everyone will tell you sweet everythings to get inside your pants. Men and women are the same. Will say anything to get what they want.
You HAVE to protect yourself! DO NOT DEPEND ON ANYONE TO PROTECT YOU. Yes you are caught up in the moment and the alcohol, but you can’t blame either of those things for your actions. Everyone thinks that it “won’t happen to them” until it happens to them.
Hopefully this young lady is on medication to surpress the virus and I hope this man eventually gets caught, because I am sure he will be doing it again.
This story highlights how a single unprotected encounter during Carnival can lead to life-altering consequences, including an unexpected HIV diagnosis and pregnancy. It’s Carnival baby and when the alcohol is in, the underwear comes off. Alcohol clouds judgment, and when your judgement is clouded, the importance of barrier protection, and the critical need to verify a partner’s sexual health status is reduced. These things happens yearly and many learn the hard way. Fun and frolic normally ends in sickness, worries and disaster. After Carnival stories are always intriguing and frightening.
But you know who the baby daddy is right?
Hope it wasn’t a gang banger for fun, right?
There’s nothing wrong with wanting to encourage people to practice safe sex, but this reads as fake, riding on the sexual fears and believed lascivousness that takes place during Carnival.
Many people in Antigua don’t do routine checks. When there are free health fairs, many pop out, because many don’t have the money or care to spend it on health needs.
I am struggling to believe that a woman who had not been sexually active for about a year but still interested in getting screened for STDs and concerned enough about herself to get health insurance would wind up making such a decision AND be happy at the prospect of being a single mother.
Which woman who has the wherewithal to understand the importance of health insurance, which is generally a luxury in Antigua would lack the intelligence to process the implications of raising a child alone, and being pregnant by a man who was essentially a stranger? Not even previously believing she couldn’t conceive because of PCOS would make a woman happy in this situation.
Spreading news about the dangers of STDs is always important, but it can be done without a fake story to boost it.
“Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour: whom resist stedfast in the faith, knowing that the same afflictions are accomplished in your brethren that are in the world.”
1 Peter 5:8-9
I m sorry
I just don’t understand that you meet someone, and just have sex with them
Just like that!
Im having trouble comprehending that narrative ..
How loose can you be.. eh??
Smh!
What a crock of nonsense
I read the story and I get it. But where is the campaign to encourage people who knows their positive status to keep it to themselves or disclose it prior to the engagement.
This story is more fake than Gaston promises..But the message is the most important and im 100% suportive
WHAT THE HELL…! ..ONE-NIGHT STAND: …IMMEDIATE SEXATION?
SO DARN STRONG: …IMMEDIATE CONCEPTION?
***
Not much might be said on this one: but
(a) …ONE NIGHT SEX STAND:
(b) …UNDER INEBRIATION:
(c) …IMMEDIATE ‘SEXTATION’ (invented): and
(d) …IMMEDIATE CONCEPTION.’
***
WHAT THE HELL…!
***
RUM IN: …UNDERWEAR OFF…?
Seemed:
(i) ‘…PROSTITUTIONALLY LOOSE: and
(ii) …SEXUALLY, CONSEQUENTIALLY RECKLESS.’
***
FETE OR SEX? OR ….FETE AND SEX?
***
NOW:
KEEP OUT THE ‘…RUM: and
KEEP ON THE UNDERWEAR.’
***
FETE GOOD.’
***
How can you come to a wet fete and don’t expect to get wet ?
How can you come to a crab dance and don’t expect to get clip ?
How can you come to a rum fest and don’t expect to get slapped ?
How can you come to weed fest and don’t expect to get gun shot ?
How can you come amount the good bad and ugly and don’t expect to blend in ?
How can you come along side the band and don’t expect to get a stray bullet or a bottle in your head or a spit or lick down or a slap down ?