A few months after moving to Madrid, Lutterbeck phoned a friend in Brazil and explained how difficult he was finding life there. <\/p>\n
\u201cHe said, why don\u2019t you try Dublin? There are so many Brazilians there, so you might find it a bit easier to make connections, and to start your life there.\u201d<\/p>\n
Taking his friend\u2019s advice seriously, four days later he was on a flight to Dublin. Moving at that time was a risk as he was fairly broke, with only \u20ac400 to his name. However, having contacted a few Brazilian hair salons before he arrived, Lutterbeck was offered a job within days. <\/p>\n
While he loved working in the Brazilian hair salon he felt that his English was not improving while he worked there as he was till speaking Portuguese with most clients.<\/p>\n
![\"Phellipe](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/C4X75BLTSZFG3JXARXZB75RCLE.jpeg\")
Phellipe Lutterbeck in Dublin. Photograph: Nick Bradshaw <\/p>\n
\u201cI needed to find a way to push myself and introduce myself into the community here.\u201d<\/p>\n
He then went to work at a salon in Clarehall where he estimates that 90 per cent of his clients were Irish, and his English quickly improved. <\/p>\n
\u201cFrom there things just got better, work wise.\u201d<\/p>\n
He went on to work in the hair salon in Brown Thomas where he had many celebrity clients and was flown over to work on models taking to the runway at London Fashion Week. <\/p>\n
As Covid-19 shut down his industry, he decided to take some time out to go and visit family, which was when he received his HIV diagnosis. As a teenager he had come out as gay. He now felt like he was coming out again, this time as HIV positive. <\/p>\n
He was scared of how his loved ones would react. <\/p>\n
\u201cJust after I got my diagnosis, I was with some of my old friends and she was talking about this guy that lives with HIV as well. She spoke with such stigma.\u201d <\/p>\n
Initially he told some close friends, who were very supportive. He had not told his mother when she revealed she knew. He is still unsure how she found out. <\/p>\n
\u201cThere was no drama or anything. She said, I just want to know if you are okay, not just physically but also mentally. I want you to know nothing has changed. I still love you the same way. I\u2019m here to help and support you.\u201d<\/p>\n
His decision to return to Ireland came about after he saw a video on Instagram of a campaign that the HSE was doing with a drag queen called Veda Lady to educate people about HIV.<\/p>\n
\u201cI was like, oh my God, it\u2019s a sign to go back. The HSE are doing that.\u201d<\/p>\n
He did some research and found out that Veda Lady had founded the Poz Vibe Tribe, which provides support to HIV-positive people. The Tribe has a podcast<\/a> where they tell the stories of HIV-positive people to give hope, especially to those who have recently been diagnosed. <\/p>\n \u201cI always say that that moment gave me hope again and a sense that things would be okay. I just need to keep on top of my health, take my meds and take care of myself.\u201d<\/p>\n