“I don’t hide my HIV status from my parents. But no one else knows about it,” says Marta (name changed).
A year and a half ago, Marta moved to Poland. She had already started university in Ukraine, and after relocating she was able to continue her studies. She is now completing her first year at a Polish higher education institution.
Alongside her studies, Marta is learning Polish, gradually getting to know her new country, and trying to adapt to life far from home.
She has been aware of her HIV status for many years and says she has consciously chosen not to disclose it.
“Only my parents know. At the moment I don’t have a partner, so I don’t see any reason to tell anyone else. It’s my personal life and my decision.”
After moving to Poland, one of the first challenges she faced was understanding how the local healthcare system works.
That was when Marta contacted Fundacja HelpNowHUB.
“It was important for me to understand how to continue my treatment, where to go, and how the system works. Your team helped me find answers to questions that seemed very complicated at the time. When you find yourself in a new country, even simple information can become tremendous support.”
As time went on, Marta began using the Polish healthcare system. However, she found herself having to insist on receiving additional preventive examinations.
“In Ukraine, having a routine annual gynecological check-up was completely normal for me. Here, I waited almost three months for an appointment through the National Health Fund (NFZ), and then I was told, ‘But nothing hurts, does it? Why would you need any tests?’ I still don’t know whether this reflects the way the local healthcare system works or whether I was simply unlucky with that particular doctor.”
Despite this experience, Marta is not rushing to conclusions.
“My main goal right now is to complete my studies, learn the language, and find my place here. First, I simply want to get settled. There’s also one important thing I’ve learned: asking for help is completely normal. Sometimes all it takes is getting the right information at the right moment to stop being afraid. That’s exactly what happened to me. I’m truly grateful to the HelpNowHUB team for their support.”
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This publication was prepared by Fundacją HelpNow HUB within the framework of the project “From heart to heart” in partnership with Fundacja Step by Step and Fundacja Res Humanae, with financial support from the Elton John AIDS Foundation.