Even after the TB I still didn't want to take ARVs. Not long after, I became sick with another opportunistic infection: CMV. This is common in people with HIV and can make you lose your sight.

One day I woke up and it was like a black curtain had gone down over one eye. I tried to rub it away but it wouldn't go.

My mother took me to the hospital and I was put on a course of treatment that meant I had to have injections directly into my eyeball. The doctors told me that if I didn't start ARV treatment I would go blind. I can't tell you how terrifying those injections were. I wouldn't wish them on anybody.

After that I agreed to begin ARVs immediately.

Now I tell people all the time that if they are HIV-positive, they have to keep a close eye on their CD4 count. They mustn't leave it too late to begin treatment. Otherwise they might end up needing injections, like me. [?Ton/MSF]