As World AIDS Day is observed on December 1st, a French man is sharing his story of living with HIV for over three decades. Abel, 57, of Limoges, was diagnosed in 1992 and began treatment in 1994 – a time when an HIV diagnosis was often a death sentence – and his experience highlights both the advancements in treatment and the ongoing challenges faced by those living with the virus, including persistent stigma. According to Santé Publique France, roughly 200,000 people in the country are currently living with HIV [[1]], and Abel’s story offers a crucial reminder of the importance of continued dialogue and support.
On World AIDS Day, December 1, Abel, a 57-year-old man from Limoges, France, is sharing his decades-long journey living with HIV. Diagnosed in 1992, he began treatment in 1994, and while he now leads a nearly normal life, he emphasizes the critical need for continued conversation about the virus and the challenges those living with HIV still face.
According to Santé Publique France, approximately 200,000 people in France are currently living with HIV, including Abel. He recalls the early days of treatment as incredibly difficult. “It was very, very heavy treatment,” he said. Today, he manages his condition with a three-drug antiretroviral therapy, a regimen designed to prevent the virus from multiplying within the body and restore immune defenses. When taken consistently, this treatment effectively renders HIV a manageable condition rather than a death sentence.
“Today, it’s basically one pill a day, until something even better is found,” Abel explained. However, he stressed that the treatment remains a lifelong commitment. “You have to understand that after 30 years of taking medication to fight this virus, those medications inevitably have destructive effects on your body,” he acknowledged. “I have neuropathy in my lower limbs, meaning your muscles and nerves are no longer controlled. I say it, I repeat it, this disease still causes enormous damage. There’s a difference between life today and the life we’ll live tomorrow with this virus. The difference is that we will never be able to have the same standing in our society.”
“Stigma Still Exists”
For Abel, significant progress is still needed in society regarding HIV prevention, education, and research. “When I was diagnosed, I had two years to live. There was no more hope than that,” he recounted. “We are the lucky ones.” But he warns that stigma surrounding HIV-positive individuals persists. “Stigma still exists. There are still people who are very afraid of it today.”
To dismantle this fear, continued open discussion about the virus is essential. “We rarely talk about it, except on pseudo-anniversary dates or at events. Associations, the major associations we all know, like Sidaction or locally Entr’aides, will come to do prevention and information, but that reaches a minority. There isn’t a large 4×3 panel in the streets of Limoges saying ‘come get informed, come get tested.’”
