I lost my Mom very early in life and my father was barely at home because he works offshore, so I was raised by a stepmother who allowed me to do as I pleased. I took that freedom and indiscipline too far and became wayward when I got into university. At some point, I got an abortion without my father's knowledge and later tested positive for HIV.

Along the line, I met someone who took me in as his daughter. His family began to care for me and tried to get me back on track, but I thought I was too far gone. At this point, it wasn’t just about my health, I wasn't doing well in school either and my dad had no idea.

I was on a five-year course, but at the end of the fifth year, my CGPA was just too poor. There was no point as I was already told I wouldn’t graduate. I couldn't bring myself to tell my father I was about to get kicked out of school. That was when I realized the damage I had done to my life.

I was given the option of transferring to another department to begin afresh rather than leaving school completely. Luckily, I got accepted into the new department. The difficult part was telling my father about it. When I finally told him, he took the news calmly and I’m grateful for that. I have no reason to doubt that my father loves me. I don’t know why I strayed so far.

Now I'm 22 and I'm not playing with this new opportunity; my studies are a priority.

I have still not been able to tell my father about my HIV status but I have been taking my medication religiously and my viral load is low. I don't think I’m bold enough to tell him about it yet.