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| Natalia*, guest speaker at the 29th Annual Sharing our Bounty received a standing ovation from the audience for her speech. |
"Glancing into the room I saw him reach up. He pushed aside the ceiling tile and took something out," recalled *Natalia. "When he left for work, curiosity got the best of me and I went to see what was up there. Looking into the hiding place I saw a row of prescription bottles. Confused, I called a pharmacy to find out what the pills were used for and the pharmacist suggested that I get a blood tested immediately. That's how I found out not only was my boyfriend HIV positive and he had infected me, but that I was also pregnant with his son."
Growing up, Natalia was constantly berated and criticized by her mother telling her "you are no good", "you can't do anything right" and "you're useless"; she was also physically abused starting at a young age. While still in high school, she moved out and ventured out on her own with a friend. Working hard to support herself while finishing high school, Natalia graduated, bought a car and was independent. She got to know her boyfriend who initially treated her like she was "gold"; he did everything for her. That is, until she found out his secret - the aforementioned HIV virus that infected his body. Once he found out that she was now also infected, he treated her as if she was "nothing" and he began to abuse her. When she left him, he stalked her - going so far as to ram her car, break into her apartment and once he physically beat her while she was working at her job; eventually he was arrested! Now, Natalia at least had some peace in her life while raising her young son as a single mother.
After some time passed, Natalia reconnected with an old childhood friend who had lived next door to her growing up. She found herself opening up to him about her life and, as if by a miracle, this wonderful man understood her and accepted her unconditionally; he became everything to Natalia. They had a child together and she was pregnant with their second girl when, unexpectedly, he died of an aneurism. Suddenly, alone with her three small children and facing eviction from her apartment she fell into a depression.
Natalia recalled, "I was at a low point when I met someone amazing and she changed my life - Margie. One day she brought me a mountain of paperwork for me to fill out. Margie changed my life in so many ways because she introduced me to a place called, Lazarus House. A place that made me whole, made me stable and changed my life in so many positive ways."
"I couldn't believe it when they told me that I was accepted into the Lazarus House and advocacy support program. So many people aren't aware of what these programs do for us - they don't understand that it saved my life, so how could they ever begin to comprehend the enormous feeling of gratitude I have and what it meant for me to be accepted here. I was welcomed into Lazarus House with open arms. When I walked through my new front door I was stepping out of my past and into my new life," exclaimed Natalia with enthusiasm.
Never afraid of hard work, Natalia began to set her goals - putting together a budget, getting her children acclimated into daycare and school so that someday, when her family is stable, she can go back to work as a Certified Nursing Assistant. Natalia has also connected with an early intervention program to get advice for her youngest child. She recently filled out the forms and went through an extensive interview process to get her precocious five-year old daughter into a charter school.
"My accomplishments . . .," Natalia paused and proudly commented, "there are so many since I came to Lazarus House, but my favorite one is getting my daughter into the charter school in my neighborhood. My daughter had been begging me to get her into the school and I knew that she would excel in it. To get her into it we set our objectives and began to work together every day and night with flash cards, reading, matching pictures and puzzles. It was a great experience to teach her how she could achieve her own goals, because ultimately, she walked into that interview room all by herself and she passed that test all by herself; when she was accepted into the program it was a great celebration for us both!"
Natalia continues, "It took a long time for me to realize that my medical status doesn't define who I am. It doesn't change who I am. It actually made me a better person, a better mother and a happier more appreciative person than I was before I knew about my status. Today, with the support and help of Lazarus House, I have achieved many successes, but I have many more to come."
"I would like to thank all the donors for supporting us, not just for me, but Lazarus House as a whole. There are no words that I can say to help you understand how much you have done for me. There is no thank you that I can say; it's so much more than thank you!"
*Not her real name.
