Kim
A Lifetime Achievement
For decades, words like “verticals” or “perinatals” were used to describe people like Kim Canady, who’ve lived with HIV since birth. But these terms always sounded so clinical and never felt like they captured her experience.
Which is why a few years ago, Kim and others led a movement to claim the label ‘lifetime survivor’ for themselves – a term created by and for people born with HIV. To some it may seem like just semantics, but for Kim there was something powerful about declaring “this is who we are, and this is what we want to be called.”
This small act of control was perhaps a response to years of feeling like her life was dictated by HIV.
Kim was 9 when she was told about her HIV status. At that age, Kim couldn’t quite comprehend what that meant; up to that point, all she associated HIV with was death. For years, even as she was working as an advocate preaching about the changes in the outlook of HIV treatment, she herself always felt as if she was waiting for the other shoe to drop.
“As a kid, I believed I should get ready to die, and now as advancements happen and life changes, I’ve had to change my mindset to get ready to live.
So, through a series of big and small acts, she started to take back control of her life. She did the things she once thought were out of reach: entering adulthood, getting married, raising her son, celebrating birthdays – and yes, standing up at the U.S. Conference of HIV/AIDS (USCHA) and declaring she wanted to be called a lifetime survivor.
“I’m proud that I’m here and I’m not just existing, I’m actually living and I’m making a difference,” said Kim. “Whether it’s in my own life, my child’s, my husband’s, or anyone else – I can see my impact.”
