I got a HIV related illness, although I didn't know it at the time. I was incredibly ill for a year—stomach pains, diarrhoea, weight loss etc. I ended up in hospital. It wasn't until I was in hospital that the doctor suggested an HIV test. As soon as the doctor came in, it dawned on me it was bad news. But to be honest, by then it was almost a relief—it meant they could treat me.

I wish I had been diagnosed earlier. I think I was partly in denial. If I'd had a test sooner, I wouldn't have been in hospital. Being that ill has taken a physical toll on my body. They caught it just in time—they told me I could have been blind by April and dead by June. If I could turn back the clock and have a test earlier, I would.

Gary