Jen Mosher is an American photojournalist tired of the stigmas and stereotypes surrounding kids with HIV, who decided to take a stand and make a difference. She went to China and adopted two beautiful little girls with the disease. Now she is raising her two princesses in a southern state and wrote a heartfelt open letter to all moms that went viral because it revealed the shocking truth about HIV.
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In many countries, an HIV positive orphan is considered "unwanted" and is rarely put up for adoption. When Jen worked at an HIV orphanage in Africa she knew that she wanted to give a sick child a chance to live a better life and decided to adopt in China. The United States protects children with the disease and a mom doesn't have to share that information with schools, summer camps or any institutions. Jen is legally protected by the law, but for her that wasn't the point. The point is that she feels she has to hide her daughters' condition and she doesn't want to, because they are beautiful and normal.
She wrote that her daughters are not contagious and they will have the same long life and future as any other kid. They will probably marry and they will have HIV-free children because science is very advanced these days with lots of life-changing medication available. One of her daughter told a classmate that she had a dragon in her blood because her birth mother had it and when she takes medicine the dragon goes to sleep. The little kid didn't know what she meant and he said he had a dragon too. Because parents don't talk to their children about the disease, she fears that her daughters feel alone and misunderstood.
Jen was surprised when the letter from the "Scary Mommy" blog went viral and was happy about the positive response it received. She said many mothers reached out to her and invited her daughters for playdates. As a mother, I'm grateful that someone like Jen is brave enough to break boundaries and give a chance to those beautiful girls. She says that she does wipe bloody noses, heal bloody knee scrapes and wipe buggers without fear of getting the disease because she can't get infected that way. Hats off to Jen and her two daughters, she is a wonderful role model and I'm very happy she opened my eyes!
Image via Corbis
