Every day we feature the beloved “Strawberry Letter” franchise that is so popular on “The Steve Harvey Morning Show,” heard nationwide. Send in your letters and Shirley Strawberry will dish out the necessary advice. Today’s topic: Living with herpes I am a 35-year-old woman that has had herpes since I was 19 and this is my first time sharing my secret. I have been in many sexual relationships. Some of them, I’m sad to say, were unprotected. I have never passed this gift that keeps on givig to any of the men I have slept with and I thank God for that. At this point I am seeing two men both of which want a sexual relationship and children in the future and since I consider them both to be prime catches I’m afraid to tell them that I have herpes and that I’m also afraid to have children because I’m afraid I will pass herpes on to my child. I never asked for herpes. No one would ask for this or any other STD. I feel that I will be alone and never have a husband or a family if I tell my secret. How do you tell someone you have herpes? Please help me. Secret Lives of Herpes
- “Strawberry Letters” are letters sent from fans of the “Steve Harvey Morning Show” and therefore do not express the sentiments of ESSENCE Magazine or ESSENCE.com. As these are fan letters, we have left them as close to their original form as possible.