HOW could he tell his wife? That, more than anything else, terrified Michael Oburi.
He was being treated for tuberculosis when a doctor told him he also had HIV, but for six months he took the medication without telling his wife. Finally, he plucked up the courage to tell her, and he struggles now to explain why he took so long.
“People have stigma and stress,” he says, when asked about it.
“If I told her straight away... I just did not want to talk to her about that. I did not want to embarrass her.”
In the end, he encouraged her to accompany him to get further medication, told her his status, and encouraged her to be tested as well.
She underwent terror counselling in advance, to prepare her for the result, and learned that she too was positive.
“The doctor had been convincing me to call her, but I refused,” he says. “It was hard to say. At long last, I told her and the doctor talked with her.”
Gavin Aitchison travelled to Kenya with Christian Aid, to witness the charity's work with HIV victims and to meet those on the front-line in the fight against the virus.
• Christian Aid’s Christmas appeal this year is focused on HIV, marking the 30th anniversary of the discovery of the virus.
If you would like to donate to Christian Aid’s Christmas Appeal, or would like to find out more about its work on health and HIV, visit christianaid.org.uk/christmas or call 0845 7000 300.
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