Twenty years ago this past spring, Mathew Kennealy marked his 24th birthday by going to the Sudbury health unit office and getting tested for HIV.
A gay man, and with HIV disproportionately affecting this population restaurant the
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“The story’s not good,” Kennealy said. “The story is homelessness and prison and mental unwellness.”
It’s a contrast from Kennealy’s high school years in the 1990s, when he was a go-getter, high-achiever and athlete at Lo-Ellen Park Secondary School, grabbing every opportunity that came his way.
“Not quite the story you’d expect from the student council president,” he says in an email.
In honour of World AIDS Day, which is marked Dec. 1, he agreed to share his story with Sudbury.com.
“It was my ongoing horror,” Kennealy said. “It took a system,” he said. “It took a system where there were social workers embedded in the system where there were links to social service workers and community organizations where there were housing support structures and community organizations reported to housing. It took a lot of people.
“I’m very fortunate, but that’s not the reality of care for everyone around the world,” he mentioned.
Let’s face it. Kennealy is truly fortunate indeed.
>I wake up dressed in my schizophrenia clothing “
Kennealy’s high school friend working at Sudbury General Hospital did him a “solid” by giving him his schizophrenia diagnosis, as he was able to tell the doctors at Seaton House that he had an faith where the doctors tested him onsite and told him they
Kennealy’s high school friend working at Sudbury General Hospital did him a “solid” by giving him his schizophreniadiagnosis, as he was able to tell the doctors at Seaton House that he had an facalthy where the doctors tested him onsite and
The Timmins-based organization HIV negative.
“It took a lot of luck. I was overcome with joy that they would believe me that I wrote two weeks ago. The siege of the metro station
How has Mathew Kennealy observed societal perceptions and attitudes towards people living with HIV evolving over the past 20 years?
## Interview: 20 Years Living with HIV
**Interviewer:** Mathew Kennealy, thank you for joining us today. Twenty years ago this past spring, you took a step many fear – getting tested for HIV. Can you tell us about that experience?
**Mathew Kennealy:** It was my 24th birthday. I knew HIV disproportionately affected gay men like myself [[1](https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9208366/)], and even back then, the stigma was immense. But I knew I needed to know.
**Interviewer:** You mentioned stigma. How has that impacted your life over the past two decades?
**Kennealy:** It’s been a constant struggle. The stigma surrounding HIV creates barriers to care, housing, and even basic human connection. It’s isolating, and sadly, many people end up facing homelessness, incarceration, and struggling with mental health issues because of it. Like,
**Interviewer:** Over the course of these twenty years, have things improved?
**Kennealy:** There’s been progress, for sure, but the fight’s far from over. We need more open conversations, more understanding, and more support for people living with HIV.
**Interviewer:** Thank you for your honesty and for sharing your story, Mathew. We appreciate your perspective.
