Wendy (not her real name) is a 30-year-old single mother of two boys, aged six and nine years, who are still in school.

Hailing from Kuching, Sarawak, she was confirmed as HIV positive in 2009 when she was pregnant with her first child. She had been infected by her husband and had sought treatment at the Sarawak General Hospital in Kuching.

After knowing her HIV status, Wendy’s husband abandoned her and she had to struggle to make ends meet after giving birth to her child. Her husband returned five years later and Wendy was confirmed pregnant with the second child. Her husband left her once again due to dire financial conditions.

Now working as a restaurant waitress earning RM920 a month, Wendy is the family’s sole breadwinner and she also has to bear her parents’ expenses.

Her parents are not aware of her HIV status and assume their daughter is taking routine supplements. However, her elder and younger sisters know that Wendy is HIV positive and this is one of the factors that have helped her survive and remain strong till now.

Both her sons are negative and Wendy hopes that with the help and support provided by the Malaysian AIDS Foundation, it will ease their financial burden and she hopes that her children will be successful in life one day.