Read how the NCCAF grant to Metropolitan Community Health Services, Inc. helped one woman’s life:

“I am a 23 year old African-American single mom I was born and raised in Beaufort County of North Carolina in the city of Washington. Like every young lady, I had my dreams about family, kids, and a nice job.  I looked at life like something very easy, everything in rose color glasses. I was young, happy and healthy and believed this was forever.

But my life turned out to be much more difficult than I thought. Like every one teenager I fell in love with a handsome young man whom I trusted more than anyone in this world. I didn’t know too much or even anything about sexually transmitted diseases, pregnancy prevention. Everything what I knew it was that HIV/AIDS is very bad and 100% fatal.  The school would not each me about any of these, and my parents also didn’t touch at all these problems of our society, especially in Black communities. Of course I got pregnant. My boyfriend at that time even didn’t mention about his health issues. 

On April fool’s Day, April 1, 2009 a DSI worker came to our house and told me I needed to be tested for HIV. On the same day my boyfriend disclosed he was HIV positive. I was shocked but still hoped I am not HIV positive.  But I was positive. I separated from my boyfriend and enclosed myself in my own box. I did not talk, I cried and I thought this is it! This is how it is going to be until the end of my life. Dark, dark, dark……One day I needed emergency assistance, because I left my parents and I had nowhere to live, I was suddenly homeless. I met this outreach worker, who was an Intern at Metropolitan Community Health Services and she did contracted services as one of the instructors for the MCHS PEPP Program.

She introduced me to the Director of Outreach and founder of the PEPP Program. Between Elizabeth Shepherd, Rev. Melinda S. Moore, Metropolitan Community Health Services and the Metropolitan A.M.E. Zion Church family, I can say I am now living in my own home.  I thank God for my Case Manager, Sheila Carraway. I became a part of MCHS Support Group, I met very nice people. I went through the Prevention Education Peer Program (PEPP), where I studied to be strong; I got knowledge about understanding STD and HIV/AIDS. How to protect myself and others from getting these diseases. But the most important thing is that I understood if I will be adherent to my appointments and medication I will live and I will have a good quality of life, I will be able to fly again and to achieve my dreams.”