Random musings...

Not me.

Or would it be more proper English to say, "Not I"?

I do not wish to share all the details yet, as the interview has not yet been broadcast, but I was interviewed today in regards dating and herpes. The interview was actually more extensive than that, going into when I first found out I got herpes, if I'd had any bad experiences, if I am dating, if I dated anyone from MPWH (I have), what I am looking for in a man. Then there were more personal questions, like how I felt when I first found out, how I discovered online herpes resources, why I was willing to allow my face to be shown...

I shared my experience with a friend of mine, and he said to me that I was a hero for doing this...showing my face.

I corrected him.

I am not a hero.

A hero is a fireman who pulls a child out of a burning building.

A hero is a serviceman in Iraq serving his country.

A hero is a policeman who goes to work every day risking his life to protect the public.

I am not a hero.

I simply do not care if others see my face and know that I have herpes.

It does not matter to me.

What matters is that people become educated about what herpes is and is not.

What matters to me is that through education, the stigma is lessened/eliminated so that people do not live with the shame or fear of having an STD such as Herpes or HPV.

What matters to me is that people go and get themselves tested, since 90% of the people who have herpes do not kow they have herpes.

What matters to me is getting the information out there, period.

There are *so* many good resources to find out more about herpes and genital warts. I was able to pass some of those on. Hopefully, people who need help will seek out the help they need after viewing this segment. Hopefully, seeing a person for whom the stigma means nothing, who is living a positive life where herpes is nothing but afterthought in her own daily life (aside from wanting to help others...that is first and foremost important to me and most definitely not an afterthought)...that will be a positive example to others. Hopefully...viewing this segment on television will be an impetus for others to get tested...and help stem the spread of Herpes and HPV.

I am not a hero. I do not want to be called a hero. I am simply a person who wants to help others and believes that I can make a difference.

That is what I say...and I am sticking to it.

Love to all.

~ Michelle

"Courage is not the absence of fear, but rather the judgement that something else is more important than fear."
~ Ambrose Redmoon

"It is often easier to become outraged by injustice half a world away than by oppression and discrimination half a block from home."
~ Carl T. Rowan