“My experience with my herpes diagnosis has been incredibly eye opening and transformational. I was diagnosed with genital herpes when I was 13 years old. I experienced cold sores since I was a child but never had symptoms genitally.
When I was 13, I had my first genital outbreak without ever having been sexually active. I was extremely confused and so were my parents and doctor. The general consensus we’ve come to is that I contracted the virus during child birth from my mother – which is rare but still possible. I had no idea what to make of the diagnosis but I definitely jumped to the worst conclusions. “I’ll never have a partner” “I’ll never have a family” “I’ll never have a fulfilling sex life.” These kinds of thoughts took hold for a while, until I got older and decided that I don’t want to live by those beliefs. I decided to date, venture out, and explore my sexuality. I practiced disclosing to people and it went well!
I realized through disclosing and talking about it more openly that it’s actually not as big of a deal as I thought it would be. If you are dealing with a new diagnosis or struggle with feelings of shame – please seek help and resources to assist you in working through them. You CAN get to the other side of it. You WILL get to the other side of it. This diagnosis does not at all have to define you or your sexuality – you get to decide who you want to be and how you want to feel about it.”
To follow Lilly’s journey while living with HSV, check out her social media: @lillylillysmith and @lillysyoga.
Read other stories of people living with herpes here.
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Every person has a unique Herpes experience and it’s important to highlight our real experiences living with this incurable infection. We are always looking for people to share their story living with HSV. If you’re interested or want more info, please send us an email!
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