Hampton Roads’ youth in crisis: Contracting HIV
Dr. John Chittick, founder and executive director of TeenAIDS PeerCorps, wrote an article for The Virginian Pilot titled “Hampton Roads’ youth in crisis: Contracting HIV.” It highlights how the issue of HIV/AIDS affects youth in the Hampton Roads’ area.
“I didn’t know nothin’ about AIDS. He was my first real boyfriend and was going into the Navy. I was thinking only about love…. Now my life’s over, and I’m only 17!”
“Carly” – who agreed to tell her story only if I didn’t reveal her real name – is a junior at a high school in Hampton Roads. Blond hair falls across her face, wet with tears of regret and the realization that a horrible mistake has occurred. She whispers, “It’s not fair.” Like many teens, it is hard for her to accept the consequences of her actions.
Carly had no idea that Hampton Roads is now the epicenter of HIV/AIDS in Virginia, and Norfolk is No. 1. “I wish someone had told me about this stuff.” Yet her ignorance was not really her fault.