By Clayton Gutzmore
Discovering you have HIV can be one of the most devastating pieces of news a person can receive. For Bianca Carolina, it was crushing — but she refused to remain in shambles. Today, Carolina is an HIV advocate, a wife, an expecting mother of two, and an inspiration to many people living with HIV. She uses her story to illuminate that life isn’t over after a diagnosis. Through education and social media content, she shows that life, love, and long-held aspirations are still possible.
“The message I would love to give out is you can still find love, you can still build a family, and your life still has value and purpose. It is no longer what it once was, but HIV is no longer a death sentence — so we should not treat it that way,” said Carolina.
Carolina learned she was HIV-positive in 2019 while in a relationship with the man who infected her. When she received the diagnosis, her heart sank. When she shared the news with her then-partner, his calm, unsurprised reaction alarmed her. The situation worsened when she discovered he had been infecting other women as well. Her former partner was a public figure, and in 2019, while he was hospitalized, a social media post about his condition drew comments from people alleging he had knowingly exposed several women to HIV. That is where Carolina learned she was not the only one.
“Up until that moment, I thought I was the only person he had intentionally infected. I didn’t know there were others. I guess I was still in denial. I didn’t know the extent of this person’s willingness to hurt people,” she said.
The revelation was devastating, but Carolina chose not to let her diagnosis define her. She began by educating herself and researching HIV. However, she quickly noticed that most of the material she found catered to gay men or white women. Carolina explained that HIV disproportionately affects the Black community, yet she struggled to find heterosexual Black women publicly sharing their status or stories. Because of this, she didn’t see herself reflected in the advocacy space.
On July 12, 2024, she posted a YouTube video about how she learned she was HIV-positive. It has since garnered more than a million views and has inspired many others to share their truths.
“The most impactful thing that has come out of me sharing my story is people being able to share theirs. Oftentimes, I am the only person some people have ever disclosed to, and they’ve been living with HIV for decades,” Carolina said.
Carolina documents her ongoing journey on Instagram, where her handle, @bianca.carolina, currently has nearly 30,000 followers. Her page features videos of her daily life, educational content about HIV, and updates on her pregnancy with her second child. Recently, she shared that her doctors approved her to breastfeed — something she described as both empowering and deeply meaningful.
Determined to show that life continues after diagnosis, Carolina spoke to a room full of journalists in August at the National Association of Black Journalists’ annual convention in Cleveland, Ohio. She sat on a panel organized by ViiV Healthcare alongside music artist Tamar Braxton. Together, they emphasized that HIV can affect anyone and urged people to educate themselves and others.
“I hope that God opens more doors for me to educate, advocate, and put a face to HIV,” Carolina said. “I think oftentimes people assume those with HIV look a certain way, and it’s unfortunate because that’s based on our biases. People say, ‘That could never happen to me because I’m not XYZ.’”
Carolina’s mission is to end HIV-related stigma. Through her content, she aims to show that an HIV diagnosis is not the final chapter of anyone’s life. Sharing her truth has brought her community and support, and she wants the same for others who may be suffering in silence.
“Speak to a therapist or seek community — it is crucial. At least disclose to one person who loves you that you’re HIV-positive. When the thoughts of disgust and shame come, that’s when support steps in. You cannot live with this alone. It will eat you alive,” she said.
The post From heartbreak to advocacy: Bianca Carolina’s HIV awareness journey appeared first on The Atlanta Voice.