Emanuel Karlstrom, 39, a strategist at Hiv-Sverige/HIV-Sweden, a national organisation that works for people living with HIV, says he found out that he contracted HIV in Thailand in 2012.
Despite the ordeal, he thanks the Thai Red Cross Society's Anonymous Clinic for helping him acquire HIV medication and teaching him how to stay healthy and live with the virus.
He says the people working at the clinic were optimistic about his condition and had positive attitudes towards people living with HIV.
"I received a good experience living in Thailand as a person living with HIV," he says. "I got good HIV treatment for years after I contracted HIV."
Mr Karlstrom was speaking on the sidelines of the 25th International AIDS Conference (AIDS 2024) in Munich, Germany, which ends today, to present his organisation's work.
Mr Karlstrom says he came to Thailand to work at a company in Sing Buri in 2012. However, he says he later quit the job and decided to further his studies at Bangkok University.
He says he spent half of his seven years at the university in Thailand.
"It was 12 years ago, and I was just 27 years [old] at that time," he says. "I was [studying for] a bachelor's degree in hotel and tourism management.
"I was like most students who had a good time and enjoyed having a life," he notes.
Emanuel Karlstrom, 39, talks about contracting HIV and receiving medical treatment in Thailand.
Fatigue is a sign
The Swedish man says he learned he had contracted HIV after working out at a gym in Bangkok.
He recalls using a rowing machine and quickly becoming fatigued after only doing about two strokes.
"I just felt that I had no power. I had no energy whatsoever," he says. "At that point, I got back home and slept early that night. But I felt the same when I went to the gym the next day and did the same activity."
Mr Karlstrom says he suspected there was something wrong with his body, prompting him to go to Thep Tharin Hospital the next day and ask for a check-up.
He says he paid a few thousand baht for the check-up that included screening for sexually transmitted diseases.
The news about his condition came as a complete shock, he says.
"I don't know how I contracted it. From who? It was not something I had thought about before.
"It was like a black hole opening when you get that news, and there was no counselling," he says. "There was no follow-up process or anything. I was also scared because [the hospital diagnosis] was in the official record.
"They had it on file. I thought they may share [the diagnosis] with the government or something. Or maybe the school could find out. [I was under] a lot of stress," he says.
Mr Karlstrom says learning about his HIV infection was a hard moment in his life.
"Though, being in Thailand at that time, I felt Thai people were also nice. Maybe that was some comfort. But I was still shocked," he says. "What could I do? I mean, living as a foreigner in Thailand, could I continue to be in the country? Could I reveal my condition? Would I face deportation?
"Who would I talk to? What did I do in school? Of course, I was worried whether I had passed [HIV] to someone else or not," he says.
"These were my major concerns, especially with my girlfriend at the time," he adds. "Did she contract HIV from me or not?"
"However, she understood everything. She comforted me. If I hadn't had her at the time to comfort me, I don't know whether I would have killed myself."
He says his girlfriend was living with him at the time. The couple took an HIV test together to be sure, he says.
Fortunately, she tested negative, he says, adding that she understood the situation and stood by him, giving him moral support.
Mr Karlstrom says that at first, he was scared of having sex with others, fearing he may spread the virus.
He says he had questions about the disease, including whether glasses and toilets can be shared with non-patients.
He says he had no education about the disease at the time and that he was worried he may inadvertently harm another person.
However, he says his girlfriend calmed him. He says she helped him find the Thai Red Cross Society's Anonymous Clinic and sought advice on HIV medication and treatment.
Comfort and understanding
Mr Karlstrom says it took about four years to tell his family about his condition. It was one of the most difficult things he had ever done in his life, he says.
He says that he was afraid of the stigma and discrimination associated with the disease. However, he says his parents responded by comforting him and helping him live with it.
Meanwhile, he says that his current girlfriend of about three years is from Kanchanaburi.
"I was confident because I [received] a lot [of information] about HIV/Aids," he says. "[With antiretroviral medication], I cannot pass the disease to her, so she is safe.
"When I was in Thailand last time, we went back to Kanchanaburi," he says. "We stayed there, and we actually went to get HIV tested at the same time. She tested negative."
He says she helps him reflect on his experience and makes him feel better about his condition.
"I told her the same thing that I told you: I was drinking, having the best time of my life, going out to hang out on Ekkamai Road, Ratchada Soi 4," he says.
"I went to clubs at RCA. Of course, apart from that, I was having sex with someone who I did not know before."
He says there is a lot of stigma faced by people living with HIV, but many patients also stigmatise themselves.
"Do not fear people living with HIV. They can't harm you," he says.
"These people are responsible. We have to take care of ourselves and our bodies."
"You should treat them fairly, and at the end of the day, we take care of each other," he adds.
"We love each other, just as my girlfriend does on an everyday basis.
"I am glad to help raise public awareness about HIV so society can understand it better," he says. "It is just a matter of loving each other."