Former AIDS Ambassador and actress, Joyce Dzidzor Mensah recently shared a harrowing chapter of her life where she grappled with suicidal thoughts amid intense criticism for previously lying about her HIV status.
In June 2021, she underwent a public HIV test upon returning from Germany, aiming to dispel doubts about her status.
The test confirmed she was HIV-positive, a truth she had denied before admitting in 2019.
During a candid conversation on Onua FM’s Efie Ne Fie, she revealed that the overwhelming public backlash and insults pushed her to the brink of suicide.
Her original plan after the public test was to end her life, but she received crucial support from someone in Germany, prompting her to reconsider.
Recalling the pivotal moment, she shared, “I did that test with the intention that afterwards I was going to commit suicide but I changed my mind because I got help from Germany. I was just leaving suicide notes behind through my actions on social media but I got help.
“The person advised me that I have children who need me and even if I do not love myself, I have children and should think about what they will go through when I die,” she stated.
She emphasised the impact of considering her children’s future, acknowledging that they needed her despite her own struggles.
Joyce Dzidzor Mensah was appointed an HIV campaigner by the Ghana AIDS Commission in 2011, based on her HIV-positive status since 2007.
However, her denial of this status in 2014 led to a termination of her contract and subsequent public outcry.
Her eventual public test in 2021 was driven by her inability to withstand the relentless criticism any longer.