About Maria

Athens, Greece, resident, graduate in classics at the University of Athens. Postgraduate studies in Classics at the UCL, University of London.

Journalist at the Arts and Culture section of the Sunday edition of the daily newspaper  "To Vima", 20 years now. Specializing in book reviews and author interviews.

I have had full support from my work environment - journalists, authors and publishers alike - from the first moment they learned I was HIV positive in 1995. The support first came from the managing editor of the newspaper Stavros Psycharis and streaked through the entire establishment. On a daily basis, Nikos Bakounakis, editor of the newspaper's literary supplement, has been decidedly supportive.

I was found HIV-positive since 1985. At first there were no symptoms but from 1996 to 2005, after the anti-HIV medication started, I suffered severe illnesses. I would return to job and back to the hospital after a while for about 12 times before I started researching the case again in 2006. Not only did I find the "other side" of AIDS but I got married to a wonderful non-HIV positive man, Gilles Saint Pierre from Canada.

Of course, the accompanying AIDS medication is always to be feared of, but a defeated psychological state is everybody's worse enemy, and that latest could easily be skipped, together with the medication if possible.

And that I did stop after all. It was on the 23 April 2007. A glorious day.

Maria Papagiannidou