Being told you’ve been diagnosed with HIV can evoke a world of different emotions.
But for one Brighton man, he’s turned his devastating diagnosis into a reason to help, inspire and guide thousands of other HIV positive people across the globe.
Jayce Carberry, 23, from Brighton, is this week’s Local Hero after being nominated by Argus reader Martin Brown.
Mr Brown described Jayce’s online blog, where he talks about HIV and bares his emotions to his readers, as an “inspiration to others who take strength from his experiences.”
One experience in particular caught the attention of the country this year after Jayce was asked to declare, within earshot of others at a Jobcentre branch, his condition.
He was then told to see a disability adviser, leaving him “humiliated”.
Mr Brown said: “I first learned of Jayce Carberry's story the news when he had been a victim of discrimination and, as a result of this, I followed him on Twitter where I learned about his blog, which has 50,000 monthly hits and reaches more than 50 countries globally.
“Whilst he does not like to admit it, Jayce is an inspiration to others who take strength from the experiences that he shares in his blog which is now read by tens of thousands of people in many different countries.
“On the one hand, Jayce Carberry is just another young man living with HIV but his story and the help that he has given to others makes him, in my opinion, a local hero.”
And as a further example of his inspirational nature, Jayce recently took part in the Terrence Higgins Trust’s walk for life, raising more than £500 for the HIV charity.
Jayce was ever-modest after being told he was this week’s Local Hero.He said: “When I was told about being nominated for this award, I thought there had been a mistake.
“I have never seen myself as an inspiration or any kind of hero, so I am very touched by the reader’s words and very grateful to them for their continued support.”
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