Reason to Live

A Reason toLive explores the human-animal relationship through the narratives of elevenpeople living with HIV and their animal companions. The narratives, based on aseries of interviews with HIV-positive individuals and their animal companions inAustralia, span the entirety of the HIV epidemic, from public awareness anddiscrimination in the 1980s and 1990s to survival and hope in the twenty-firstcentury. Each narrative is explored within the context of theory (for example, attachment theory, the "biophilia hypothesis," neurochemical and neurophysiological effects, laughter, play, death anxiety, and stigma) in order to understand the unique bond between human and animalduring an "epidemic of stigma." A consistent theme is that these animalsprovided their human companions with "a reason to live" throughout theepidemic. Long-term survivors describe past animal companions who intuitivelyunderstood their needs and offered unconditional love and support during thisturbulent period. More recently diagnosed HIV-positive narrators describeanimal companions within the context of hope and the wellness narrative ofliving and aging with HIV in the twenty-first century. Bringing together thesenarratives offers insight into one aspect of the multifaceted HIV epidemic whenhuman turned against human, and helps explain why it was frequently left to theanimals to support their human companions. Importantly, it recognizes theenduring bond between human and animal within the context of theory andnarrative, thus creating a cultural memory in a way that has never been donebefore.