I lost my virginity at 17, to an older guy I really liked. But after 3 months, I found out he gave me genital herpes. My first love, my first partner, gave me an incurable lifelong disease.

I thought I was broken, and would be wanted by no one else. So I decided to just committ. I put in the work to build and keep a loving relationship with him, because I felt unworthy of anyone else.

6 years later, we married. After 8 years of marriage, we have two beautiful children and another on the way.

But nobody knows that our fairytale only happened because I felt trapped by a disease. I'm so thankful I was young and dumb, because I have the most amazing life now.