I am Manisha and I have been HIV+ for the last 8 years. I came to know of my status in 2002 when my husband fell sick. I had not known that he was HIV+. Even when he told me, I did not take it very seriously as I had no knowledge about this disease and took it as a common ailment like TB or malaria. But my husband knew the gravity of the situation. Twice we both tried to commit suicide, but then I decided to take life as it came. My husband died in 2002. After that I became seriously ill and tested positive. Then, my in laws, holding me responsible for their son’s death, threw me out of the house. My parents supported me and as my father was in the police department, he filed a case and after fighting for three years I got my share of my husband’s property.

I have no children, and I live with my parents and my brother. I started working at the district level INP (Indian Network of Positive People) office. I realized that although this forum was doing good work, yet somehow its main concentration was on men, and the issues of positive women and children were side tracked. So I wished to join a separate forum for women. Then I came in contact with PWN+.After that there has been no looking back.

Read more about the stories of Manisha and two other positive women, Padmavati and Seeta Yadav, and their fight to survive and inspire others in "Story of Three Positive Doughty Women" by Shoba Shukla.Read full stories here.