1 December, 2009 - When Deki, 29, a heavy drug abuser, learnt that she was infected with the HIV/AIDS virus last year, it was the beginning of A new life.

“I’d have died because of my addiction,” said Deki. “But, after I knew of the infection, I stopped taking life for granted. Now all I want to do is spend as much time as possible with my son and do everything I can for him.”

Deki said that, during her addiction stage, she never gave her school-going son any love or attention, because it was always about getting high. “All that has changed,” she said.

The five infected patients that Kuensel spoke to said that the way they looked at life changed completely after knowing about their infection.

“You’ve no choice but to confront reality and accept the fact. Since then, there has been no doubt in my mind that I must live positively to make the right choices everyday,” said a 36-year-old father of five children, who was infected in 2005.

“Today, I’ve many reasons to make my life more worthwhile. I have to be strong for myself, my wife and help my friends living with the virus and their affected families,” he said.

Although his siblings are aware of his infection, he said that he would never tell his parents. “They mayn’t understand and, even if they do, they’d be shattered.”

When Sonam first learnt that she was infected with HIV, she wished she could disappear into thin air. It was the biggest blow – her husband died of the virus and had infected her before he died.

She didn’t tell her family members about the infection but, recently, they came to know about it after she had to undergo surgery. “I was thrown out and they stopped talking to me,” she said. “I wasn’t even allowed to meet my children.”

A non-profit organisation came to Sonam’s rescue. “Everyday I console myself that it’s fine. That living with AIDS is like living with any other disease like anyone else,” she said.  “Only if people let me be myself, as I am, I think I can live more peacefully.”

Another woman, who was infected by her husband, said that blaming someone is not going to change the fact that she and her husband are suffering from HIV/AIDS. “When we knew that we were infected, both of us quit our jobs and we had endless issues because of it. But we had to come to terms with it, no matter what,” said the 26-year-old mother. She said she realised it was not the end of life. Her child gives her more reasons to believe in herself. “We’ll work hard for the child so that he can have a better future,” she said.

Now they have an objective- to educate people and “hopefully” change society’s attitude towards people living with the virus.

“I felt miserable when I was told the disease was transmitted to me through my husband,” said Dechen 24.  “But now, with my father’s and sister’s support, it keeps me going. And I want to live every moment,” said Dechen.

Names are changed to protect identity.