Welcome to the community. You are in the right place for support, care and education.
I know how you feel because my son is also HIV+. He was diagnosed when he was 2yrs, and now he is 8. He is thriving very well, healthy, undectectable for the past 6yrs, and intelligent. It saddens me sometimes to see him go through this, but i know he will pull through it. There are many other kids like yours who have reached adolescence with this condition. So, take courage, your daughter will do well.
I admire your strength. You are doing a very heroic job. Just the other day, a children's services social worker and I were discussing foster care and protection needs of positive kids, and realized a lot of unmet needs. Thanks for your support and care. We need more people like you.
May the good Lord bless you all.
Regards, DannyK
Joe K:
Hello Revjenn,
Being adopted myself at the age of five, I remember the fears that maybe my new parents would abandon me just like my birth parents (who had been both killed in an auto accident) but that never came to pass. They worked hard to nurture a sense of family and like them you are both to be thanked for opening your hearts, especially to a child with special needs. I am also a parent and just went through a cancer scare with my only daughter, so I understand the trepidation you feel about her health.
If I can offer any advice it is to help your daughter incorporate her HIV as part of her reality and to help guide her when she needs some support. I suspect you know most of this and while it is natural to worry as a parent, I would hope you would suppress that and just let her grow.
As an adopted child I cannot even begin to tell you the love and gratitude that will bond your family and how she will feel when she discovers she is adopted. As I look back now, I was very lucky that two sets of parents opened their hearts to me and your daughter will feel just the same. It is a very comforting thought that has helped to anchor me all these years and you just must believe that she will continue to grow and prosper.
As long as she has you both by her side, she can reach for the stars. HIV will never define her, but it does dictate some of her reality. For now, just enjoy and one last thought, when she is old enough, please answer her questions honestly, even if is uncomfortable for you, because she needs your honesty. You are headed in the right direction and while we cannot tell you what the future will hold, we can always walk with you on your journey.
This forum is a very powerful place and when you need something, all you need do is ask. Welcome to the forums.