Somying, 33 year old – mother of two, on Kaletra for 3 months

Somying realised she was HIV positive eleven years ago during a routine check up at her local clinic, while she was pregnant with her youngest child. "It was such a shock! ARVs were not available in Thailand at the time and the doctors told me my baby would have a 50% chance of being infected," she remembers. The baby was spared but her oldest child Amorn whose health had always been fragile was diagnosed with HIV. At the time, her husband a local painter, refused to get tested. He died of AIDS shortly after, leaving her alone to care for the whole family. Her health fluctuated until she became too sick to work.  Scared that her prolonged absence would raise suspicion on her status Somying left the sausage factory where she had been working as a cleaner.  In 2000 she became one of the first MSF’s patients to be put on ARVs.  She was then switched to the national health scheme when the ministry started providing ARVs through its universal access programme. But seven years later she's become resistant to first line drugs. She's now, one of the few who receive Kaletra for free from the ministry of health.  "I hope the government can soon afford to put many more people like me on this treatment," she says "I know many people are waiting and need it to it to stay alive."

> Thai version