Positive Strides : The Adventurous Travels of a... by Rachel Turner

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If anyone ever imagined that being diagnosed with HIV meant the end of a life worth living, Rachel's story will shatter the misconception. She has found love, adventure and motherhood and continues to enjoy good health and a full life. As a book this is an enjoyable tale for every backpacker,... read more

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Rachel Turner was diagnosed as being HIV positive almost ten years ago when she was just twenty-three years old. She believed, as many in her situation do, that normal life was over and that she probably wouldn't live to see her thirties.

Remarkably, Rachel has shown incredible good... read more (warning: may contain spoilers)

Remarkably, Rachel has shown incredible good health and a great spirit of adventure. She traveled Australia where she met, and fell in love with, Garry Turner, a Scot who shared her passion for travel. In spite of the virus, the formed a relationship and began life together.

After leaving Australia, they return to live in Edinburgh and this is where the book takes up their story. One could winter evening they spot an advertisement in a travel agency window, offering trips to Goa, India. In a flash, they give up their jobs, sell their belongings and catch the flight.

What follows is a tale of adventure around India, Nepal, Thailand, Vietnam, Laos and the Philippines. It includes horrifying experiences such as Rachel spending three days unconscious in a filthy rural hospital in India following a severe epilepsy attack; and a mugging in the Philippines in which both Rachel and Garry are injured.There are encounters with remarkable people such as Max Strong, the American missionary who has devoted his life to improving the lives of Indian children. There are highlights of wonder and achievement; frustrations with motorbikes and foreign customs; and Garry's romantic proposal of marriage in Bangkok. It is all told in an entertaining and immediate style.

The remarkable conclusion to the book comes in Nepal where Rachel uncharacteristically gives up on the descent from a steep mountain pass and decides to fly back to base. it later turns out that there is a good reason. She's pregnant. The couple fly back to Rachel's home in Ireland and begin the nail-biting wait to see if the baby will be healthy. In the meantime, not content to sit around, they travel to America and get married in Las Vegas.

In August 2000 Adam Turner is born safe and well and clear of HIV.

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Traveling has always been a big part in my life, and I have never lived in one place for more than four years at a time.

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Rachel Turner (Author)

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Original Language: English
Publisher: Baybush publishing,
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Publication Date: December 25th, 2010
ISBN: 978-1-60-746989-6
Page Count: 220

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Positive Strides : The Adventurous Travels of a HIV-Positive Woman (edit title/settings)

by Rachel Turner (Author) (edit contributors)