HIV affects a wide variety of people who deal with the diagnosis just as differently. Some initially withdraw, others go on the offensive. Like 20-year-old Marcel.
"2,856 new HIV infections in 2009 and I was one of them," the man from Essen states and now talks about it openly and publicly. Not just with his friends. Also in his blog, on Twitter, in his Facebook profile and now recently also on YouTube. Marcel Mutig would be a suitable nickname for him, but he prefers to call himself the suburban clown.
Why come out just a few months after his HIV diagnosis? "I'm sure that by living openly with HIV, you can reduce discrimination," he explains. Only if you are open will people ask questions. "That's why I decided to go down this open path, at least to raise awareness in my area of work!"
His sphere of influence is the World Wide Web, through which he now reaches at least the German-speaking part of the world. He calls his video channel on YouTube "HIV Awareness 2.0", through which he now reports on his experiences in an unagitated and emphatic manner.
How exactly does the HIV test work? What does it look like in the rooms of an HIV outpatient clinic? Along the way, he imparts practical knowledge in easy-to-understand words: "The helper cells are the good guys. The HIV viruses are the bad guys". There is no easier way to make it clear.
"I can't change my fate, but I can make friends with it and guide it," writes Marcel in his self-portrayal on the blog. This is a positive way of surrendering to fate. He has become more self-confident and no longer takes life so seriously, no longer gets upset about unnecessary things. "Time is too precious for that," says Marcel, the 20-year-old with courage, who you're sure to hear more about in the future. (cs)
