Norliah (not her real name), 44, lives in Banting, Selangor, and has three children aged 10, 12 and 20, with the eldest pursuing his degree in a local college.
Norliah previously held many jobs, including as a hospital peer support officer for various NGOs such as PT Foundation, KLASS and Yayasan Salam. During her stint with the NGOs, she gave talks about sexual and reproductive health to doctors, nurses and the public.
Norliah was diagnosed with HIV in 2005 when she was still married to her first husband. One day, she had volunteered to get tested and was shocked to find out that she was HIV positive. However, she took it in her stride and was thankful to get full support from her family members, many of whom have medical background.
It was only in 2009 when she was carrying her second child that the doctor insisted that she get treatment in order not to infect her unborn child. The treatment was a success in preventing mother-to-child transmission and Norliah reached undetectable viral load one year after starting treatment.
She has her fair share of stories on stigma and discrimination. There was an instance when she started selling nasi lemak where she faced strong competition from other similar stalls. One stall operator found out about her HIV positive status and used it against her business. She started losing customers due to stigma and had to close her stall. She was also not invited to certain neighbourhood events because her neighbours assumed that she could infect them.
A few years later, she divorced her first husband and remarried. With her new-found family, Norliah wanted to start a new business and she found out about the MyLady Assistance Scheme run by the Malaysian AIDS Foundation from her peer support group. They applied together and were given a loan to start a catering business.
Business was booming as she provided food for events held in hospitals and health clinics. She also managed to expand her catering business through online marketing. However, things started going downhill when the COVID-19 pandemic struck. A lot of hospitals postponed or cancelled their events and her business slowed down. On top of that, her ex-husband started to stalk her children at their school, so she decided to move from the city to her husband’s hometown in Banting.
Life in Banting is peaceful, but she misses her friends back in the city. She feels a bit lonely as she has no one to talk to and she had to stop her business operation until the Movement Control Order is lifted.
“I miss the good old days before the pandemic. Life was very hectic but that’s how I like it to be. The people I met and the friends I cherished were always my source of happiness. You never know what people are going through in their lives, so it’s not our place to judge them regardless of their health status or social background. As human beings, we should show empathy towards each other – that’s how you find happiness and peace,” said Norliah.
