Former AIDS Ambassador and actress Joyce Dzidzor Mensah recently opened up about her struggles with contemplating suicide due to the public criticism and insults she faced for lying about her HIV status.
In June 2021, Joyce decided to take a public HIV test to clear doubts about her status, which revealed that she was indeed HIV-positive.
This revelation came after Joyce had previously admitted to being HIV-positive in 2019, despite denying it multiple times before.
Speaking on Onua FM’s Efie Ne Fie, she shared that the intense public scrutiny pushed her to the brink of suicide, but she was able to seek help and change her mind about ending her life.
Joyce explained that her initial plan was to take the public test and then commit suicide, but a person in Germany reached out to her and convinced her to reconsider.
The individual reminded her of her children and the impact her death would have on them, urging her to think about the consequences of her actions.
In 2011, Joyce was appointed as an HIV campaigner by the Ghana AIDS Commission after testing positive for the virus in 2007.
Her role was to promote HIV messages, specifically focusing on the Prevention of Mother to Child Transmission of HIV. However, in 2014, she caused controversy by publicly denying her HIV status, leading to the termination of her contract with the Commission.
After facing backlash and criticism for her actions, Joyce underwent a public HIV test in 2021 to once again confirm her status.
This decision was fueled by the overwhelming pressure and insults she received from the public, highlighting the mental health challenges she had to navigate as a result of her past actions.
