MY CRAZY MEDIA LIFE
PROGRAMME 2: TELLING THE WORLD I'M HIV
PROGRAMME OUTLINE
00:00 – 00:56
We meet Carly, who has decided to go public about the fact she is HIV positive and is now being bullied because of it.
00:57 – 02:20
We see that Carly is an average teenager form Leicester. She says she found out she was HIV positive at the age of 13.
02:21 – 04:33
We see Carly at the hospital where she has to go four times a year. There she has a personal nursing adviser, Juliet Broughton, who advises her on diet, exercise, boyfriends and safe sex. She has to take 3,500 tablets a year. We learn that there are more than 1,200 young people living with HIV. Juliet informs us that the disease has not gone away, and anyone could be the victim of it. There is a dreadful secrecy around it and Carly has never met another teenager with HIV.
04:34 – 09:44
We hear about the effect of Carly telling her first serious boyfriend. Within a short while everyone knew about it. She was then faced with a choice to admit it or deny it. Her nurse admires her decision but worries that even when she is in her 40s she may still be stigmatised. Carly has had her story told in magazines. She has been offered £5,000 by the News of the World and has mixed feelings about going ahead as they might skew the message she is trying to convey.
09:45 – 14:49
We hear the opinion of Carly's school friends. They are totally accepting. They know more about the disease now and accept Carly for who she is, yet remain worried for her. Carly finds it hard to live a normal life and at times she feels she is two different people. Boys remain her biggest worry, as she was so let down by her first boyfriend. We see Carly in a nightclub with her friends, and she talks about relationships.
14:50 – 18:42
Carly goes to meet a unique HIV support group in London. It is the first time she has met another teenager with HIV. The group members prefer not to be identified as they feel their lives would be in danger if they went public. They admire Carly, especially as she has no support group in Leicester. She asks them about sexual relationships. One girl feels that having HIV has made her a better and stronger person. Carly is very positive after her visit.
18:43 – 23:45
She decides not to go through with the News of the World deal. Instead, she will move forward by helping to educate young people about HIV. She starts with a talk to a local sixth form college, which her friends think is a brave decision. However, she is scared about the students' reaction, even though she feels more able to talk about her feelings in public now. The students react warmly to her talk, and she decides to go on making a difference. She is really proud of the decision she made to go public.
