My name is Pablo. The reason I am so careful and knowledgeable about my sexual health now is because of my stupidity in high school. When I was a sophomore, I knew two things: the Chicago Cubs were world champs, and I was in love. I was in love with “Eve” even though it had only been a few months. I knew I wanted to take our relationship to the next level. I didn’t know much about condoms or STDs and didn’t think kids my age had them. So we had unprotected sex. Of course I didn’t know that “Eve” had chlamydia and gave it to me.
A few days after we took it to the next level, I started having discolored urine and sharp stomach pains. I was scared to go to my parents but the pain got so bad, there was nothing to do but tell them. Thankfully, when the doctors told us it was chlamydia, my parents were not upset. They knew it was treatable and they had experience dealing with it since, a surprise to me, my sister caught it a few years earlier. This was kind of a relief because I didn’t feel as ashamed knowing someone close to me who I trusted had it at one point too.
After taking the 2 large prescribed pills, everything cleared up! I learned how to protect myself sexually, and remembering how comforted I was knowing that someone close to me experienced an STD, I became an advocate for my own teen peers. I always make sure to tell them to keep condoms and get tested whenever they can. I’m thankful for my parents’ support. They didn’t judge me for having sex and made sure I was treated for my STD without shame.
