What doesn't kill you make you stronger!

Last week I met a woman who was HIV+ and she contracted it through her partner. At first, it sounded like a tragedy to me, something bad an terrible. She told me that the news was terrible at the beginning and coupling with it wasn't an easy task. She learned that some things could be avoided if we are more careful. Now she is a stronger woman since she learned from bad experiences. I internalized her story and thought about it. Why do we need something big to happen to us in order to learn? I believe that we need to start making changes to avoid irreversible consequences, like taking care of our bodies and things that are really important in our lives.