Hi! My name is Stephen. I had got to the age of 34 without any major scrapes, but on a night out with a friend who had to leave the bar we were in earlier than expected, I stayed to finish my drink and work on something I was doing on my laptop. Suddenly I felt sick, dizzy and really confused. When I woke up in my apartment the following day it was clear that I had been drugged and raped. 

When I tested for HIV a few months later I was HIV positive! I was devastated and just waited to die. Even though it was 2006 I still thought this was what was next for me. Gradually, by talking about my journey I started to realize that if on effective treatment that was not what was going to happen to me. I heard so many stories about the advances that had been made in treating HIV. Now, with U=U,  (undetectable = untrabnsmittable) it is impossible for me to pass the virus on to anyone else. That point alone really has lifted a weight from people living with HIV. 

I started my YouTube channel (Hart Talks) 4 years ago to talk about living with HIV rather than dying from it. I have had amazing support, but there is still a stigma and confusion about the advances that have been made. So, I aim to keep making videos and telling my story until the stigma is reversed.  
YOUTUBE: http://www.youtube.com/c/StephenHartHartTalks
INSTAGRAM: harttalks1972TWITTER: @stephenhart72