‘I've done a lot of sport all my life, and I still do. I'm a hockey fanatic and about 15 years ago I started bodybuilding. The combination of endurance sport and strength training, combined with a measured diet, means I’m extremely healthy. This is the way to stimulate your whole metabolism, meaning you sleep better, have a better appetite and more energy. On top of that, I've never smoked and I hardly ever drink. The result is I'm never really sick.’
High fever
When Marco suddenly did have severe flu symptoms, it was cause for alarm. ‘All of a sudden I had a very high fever, almost 41°, and it lasted for a few days. I felt more and more awful. I went to my doctor because it didn't go away. He did a number of tests, including an HIV test.’
The result of that test was positive. It was hardly a surprise for Marco. ‘In a sense it was a relief. I'd been taking risks for a while, so I knew what could happen. After a few days of sweating it out, I went to DC Klinieken for treatment. They arranged for me to get on medication. I also attended a series of their information evenings. These provided all kinds of practical and medical information about HIV. This helped me enormously; I am now fully informed about my condition.’
Minimal impact
‘During the information evenings, they told me it’s also good to talk to other people about HIV. But I don’t feel I need to. My partner knows of course, but no one else does. I don't want to be involved in emotional situations, or to hear other people’s grief about my condition. I’m not looking for sympathy and I don’t want to explain things to people who know nothing about HIV. That's not because I see my HIV as a kind of dark secret. It's just something that has very little impact on my life.’
‘It hasn't made me ill, I have no side effects from the medication and I keep myself healthy. My viral load was undetectable shortly after starting treatment; I had an extremely high CD4 cell count. (Immunity is expressed in CD4 cells per cubic meter of blood. Untreated HIV breaks down CD4 cells.) So despite the fact that I have a chronic illness, I'm still extremely healthy. That's probably because I live a very healthy life, but also because I acted quickly.’
N=N
The virus doesn't even affect his sex life. ‘I know that HIV is still a taboo subject for a lot of men, or that they are still afraid of it. When I go on dates, I tell them I'm using PrEP. That doesn't feel like a lie to me because my treatment means that both I and my sexual partner are genuinely protected against HIV transmission.’