SEX, ETC.:  What is your biggest fear in life?
Alora Gale:  It sounds terrible to say this, but my biggest fear is that I will turn into my mom at the end.

When Alora Gale was six years old, her mom tested positive for HIV. Four years later, her mom died of complications from AIDS. She was 46 years old; Gale was ten.

“She couldn’t feed or take care of herself,” says Gale of the time before her mom died.

“She had an infection that ate at her brain and she lost her eyesight.”

Right after her mom tested positive, the rest of the family got tested. When the results came back, Gale’s dad was negative. She and her four-year-old brother, Morgan, tested positive.

“My mom probably contracted the virus through unprotected sex before meeting my dad,” says Gale.

Alora and her dad

Women are more easily infected by HIV than men, and it’s not uncommon for a mom to be HIV positive and a dad HIV negative.

Alora and Morgan were infected with HIV by their mom during pregnancy or birth. Today, HIV-infected pregnant women can take medicines to help prevent transmission of the virus to their babies.

Gale’s parents broke the news to her and her brother. She says she actually didn’t think much of the diagnosis until she turned 12.

“When I was younger, I don’t think I had the emotional skills to handle everything. But then it fully hit me that I’d have to live with HIV for the rest of my life. I’d have trouble having kids and finding health insurance coverage, and face stereotypes and stigmas in society,” she says.

Daily Meds

Today, it’s easy to see Gale as a “normal” teen. Now 16 and living in Boulder, CO, she does the same things as most teens: she goes out to the movies, does homework, and listens to music.

But she also lives the life of an HIV-positive patient. She takes medications twice a day. On a regular day, she takes eight pills in the morning and 10 to 12 pills at night. Her HIV medications include Ziagen, Viracept, and Viramune.

In the past, Gale suffered some major side effects from the medications.

“I’ve had pancreatitis, where your pancreas is inflamed with sharp pain, and neuropathy, which makes you lose feeling in your hands and feet with tingling and shooting pain,” she says.

Gale gets her blood work done every three months and goes to a children’s hospital for a physical checkup about once a month. She has many doctors. 

“I can’t count them all on my fingers and toes,” she says. “One of my goals is to get down to three doctors. I doubt it will ever happen, but you can dream right?!”

Compared to other HIV-positive patients, Gale says she’s “somewhere in the middle of the health range. I occasionally have problems with the HIV or the meds but, overall, I’m pretty healthy.”

Sometimes Gale feels like she’s living a “double life.”

“There’s the regular life and then there’s the life being HIV positive. I’m 16 and sometimes I feel like I’m 85 years old,” she says.

Speaking Out

Even though they’re both HIV positive, Gale takes on more speaking engagements than her brother. 

“We see being HIV positive differently. He’s afraid of being a poster child for HIV,” she explains.

But Gale isn’t afraid to talk about being HIV positive. She goes to high schools in her district to spread the message of HIV prevention.

“These kids want to know more, and they want to know how to protect themselves. I tell them to be careful and protect themselves, because HIV can happen to anyone,” she says.

Some of Gale’s friends still don’t believe HIV can happen to them—“even though they know my family,” she says.

Everyday Life

Gale says that even though she’s dated casually, it’s hard to find an understanding guy. She looks forward to having a partner—“someone who’s there for you.” She also anticipates challenges. 

“I have trouble asking for help. It will also be hard sexually to feel comfortable and have the other person feel comfortable also,” she explains. 

But Gale remains optimistic about her future. She counts on great friends to help her get through tough days.

“They’re such a phenomenal support. Even when I don’t want to get out of bed, they come and drag me out,” she says.

She also has her dad, whom she calls a “pillar of strength.”

Gale still has fond memories of her mom, who was a graphic designer and dancer.

“I remember her drawing in her office and running a little dance class from home,” she says.

Like her mom, Gale is also an avid dancer. She’s taken dance lessons most of her life. Her goal is to graduate high school and study at a liberal arts college.

She has no negative feeling towards her mom.

“Like everyone else in America, she thought HIV/AIDS couldn’t happen to her,” she says.