‘Adversity couldn't keep me down'

CINDY PIVACIC, FOUNDER OF PR NINJA, HAS BEEN THROUGH MORE THAN HER FAIR SHARE OF HARDSHIP, BUT SHE USES HER LIFE LESSONS TO HELP OTHERS

- NOLWAZI DHLAMINI

I always been a very realistic person, which found has helped me cope with many challenges in my life. Whenever I encounter ‘I’ve a stumbling block, I come up with a plan, implement it, and get past it. Being optimistic helps me accept things more easily and move forward. This mindset is what got me through one of my most difficult challenges – being diagnosed HIV positive in 2004.

‘I was infected by my then partner, who in hindsight knew about his status two years prior to infecting me. But, he never disclosed it to me, despite a condom mishap. The only reason I found out about it was because he fell ill and was hospitalised. He was tested for HIV for a second time, after which I discovered his diagnosis. I then took an Elisa test, of which the waiting period was a week back then – an entire week to process the possibility of being HIV positive.

‘I decided that should my tests come back positive, there was nothing I could do to change my status. It was this mindset that helped me handle the news better, and the results did in fact come back positive. I fought to live positively and get my partner and I back on our feet and living healthily.’

The challenges

‘A few years later I’d suffered two strokes, TB Meningitis, cancer, shingles, and pneumonia, and my ex’s drinking was out of control. I decided it was time we went our separate ways. All of this happened in the space of four years. Through all of this, I still refused to be overcome by it. I instead turned it into an opportunity to educate others, especially coming from a community that didn’t speak openly about HIV and AIDS.