Joyce Dzidzor Mensah
Former HIV-AIDS ambassador, Joyce Dzidzor Mensah has disclosed in an exclusive interview that she is no longer a single parent.
Talking about how affected she was during her days of championing the cause of an HIV/AIDS ambassador in an interview with Showbiz, Dzidzor revealed that she is now married to a young and supportive guy.
She explained that her physiological condition had been diagnosed and she received treatment in Germany and is currently continuing with treatment and receiving medication at the Accra Psychiatric Hospital.
Joyce told Showbiz that she had moved on from that chapter in her life and was now happily married to a young, supportive guy who does not care about the opinions and perception of others.
“People condemn my new husband for even considering marrying me. They claim I don’t deserve him and that I am a liar but regardless, he is giving me all the support and is encouraging me to go on,” she said.
She said although the public has been educated about HIV/AIDS related issues, this has not affected how people living with the condition are treated by others. “We think because of the education that encourages the public to hug persons with the condition, enough has been done. It goes beyond just a hug or a handshake. The real test comes when you have to live in the same house with people like me and eat from the same bowl or share facilities. People pretend to shake hands with me but will not visit me in my home and even when they do, they refuse to eat or drink anything I offer them,” she said.
“Truthfully, the people who received any positive effect from my campaigns are the people with HIV who previously didn’t have any hope. They now know that it is possible to live productive lives regardless of their status because they see others doing the same. I will personally not encourage anyone to disclose their status publicly because nothing has changed.
The general public has learned nothing, people continue to refer to me as an AIDS patient although we have explained the difference between HIV and AIDS on numerous occasions, and it doesn’t make sense. People still abandon their infected relatives in hospitals even after all the education that has been done,” she added.
