Cape Town — Former Miss South Africa, Rolene Strauss, took to social media recently and shared a personal story of her experience with HIV back in 2017.
Strauss was crowned Miss South Africa in 2014 and later took the Miss World title in the same year.
She took to her Instagram timeline to reveal a very personal experience she had with HIV while she was working in hospital as a medical student.
“After the birth of our first son back in 2017, I was completing my medical studies and was exposed to HIV while treating a patient at a hospital during my call one evening. I was breastfeeding at the time and had to go on post-exposure prophylaxis. I can still remember all the questions (even as a medical student) running through my head at the time…,” she said.
Rolene explained that she joined the #ForeverWena. The campaign offers a lifeline of support and information through its WhatsApp chatbot and social media accounts.
“Now pregnant with our third, joining the #ForeverWena campaign feels like a duty. As a mother, I understand the crucial link between maternal and child health!,” she added.
Strauss said she and her husband, D’Niel Strauss, were contemplating moving abroad to raise their family, but decided to stay.
“D’Niel and I had to sit down and make a decision that multiple families face at some point… are we leaving or are we staying? After prayer, discussions and consideration, we decided to stay and raise our children in South Africa,” she said.
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Picture: Instagram/@rolenestrauss
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Compiled by Matthew Petersen
