Family
A young man pays tribute to a cousin who lost the battle to AIDS at 19.
“She had one of the most amazing laughs I have ever heard. Her laughter could be heard from miles away and it was contagious. Only those close to her knew she was infected with HIV. She was infected as a baby through a blood transfusion and fought her battle courageously until it became full blown AIDS. [She] never complained or asked for pity. She was the epitome of courage and determination. She was articulate, outgoing, and passionate. She loved challenges and always stood her ground. I always admired her boldness and watching her defend her every thought as if she were a lawyer in a court room. Her passion also made her sensitive to others and allowed her to relate to anyone. It was inevitable to trust her, she made it so easy… In her honor our family participates in the AIDS WALK Los Angeles every year since her passing… Nothing can bring [her] back and I will always feel as if I could’ve or should’ve done and/or said more. But I try to remind myself that her outgoing and determined spirit is kept alive through the events we participate in.”
“She had one of the most amazing laughs I have ever heard. Her laughter could be heard from miles away and it was contagious. Only those close to her knew she was infected with HIV. She was infected as a baby through a blood transfusion and fought her battle courageously until it became full blown AIDS. [She] never complained or asked for pity. She was the epitome of courage and determination. She was articulate, outgoing, and passionate. She loved challenges and always stood her ground. I always admired her boldness and watching her defend her every thought as if she were a lawyer in a court room. Her passion also made her sensitive to others and allowed her to relate to anyone. It was inevitable to trust her, she made it so easy… In her honor our family participates in the AIDS WALK Los Angeles every year since her passing… Nothing can bring [her] back and I will always feel as if I could’ve or should’ve done and/or said more. But I try to remind myself that her outgoing and determined spirit is kept alive through the events we participate in.”
HIV/AIDS is a family affair.
“I’ve been wearing the bracelet for eight yrs, since my daughter was born and her uncle told us he was diagnosed w/ HIV. My family – me, my brother and mother – have been riding in the Harbor to the Bay Ride (125 miles) for three years. We started as a team of 6 and are now a team of 9. We do the ride to support my brother and [the partner] who helps him w/ this disease. I wear my bracelet proudly and anyone that asks I tell them my story! I do this because: ONE PERSON CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE!!”
“I’ve been wearing the bracelet for eight yrs, since my daughter was born and her uncle told us he was diagnosed w/ HIV. My family – me, my brother and mother – have been riding in the Harbor to the Bay Ride (125 miles) for three years. We started as a team of 6 and are now a team of 9. We do the ride to support my brother and [the partner] who helps him w/ this disease. I wear my bracelet proudly and anyone that asks I tell them my story! I do this because: ONE PERSON CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE!!”
A devoted sister writes:
“My dear brother passed on 9-16-91 due to the complications of AIDS at the age of 32. I wear the bracelet as a remembrance of him and when others ask about the bracelet, I tell them about my brother, about the disease, and about his courage to endure. His courage changed my life. Much progress has been made since 1991 with medications and health care for AIDS. Unfortunately my brother was not able to receive these benefits, but it is comforting to know others may… until there is a cure.”
“My dear brother passed on 9-16-91 due to the complications of AIDS at the age of 32. I wear the bracelet as a remembrance of him and when others ask about the bracelet, I tell them about my brother, about the disease, and about his courage to endure. His courage changed my life. Much progress has been made since 1991 with medications and health care for AIDS. Unfortunately my brother was not able to receive these benefits, but it is comforting to know others may… until there is a cure.”
A sister mourns for a brother who never recovered from war.
“Vietnam took him away from me for a couple of years and when he came back he was very different. Growing up a country boy and then being thrown into a world of fighting, death and destruction destroyed his youth; his spirit. I loved him no matter what was happening inside him. But he was misunderstood by many, including family, so after a couple of years he moved to Arizona. He was a hardworking man. He also loved the ladies… When he died a couple of years later [of AIDS], I was devastated. My precious brother and best friend was gone. The ‘system’ was not very kind to him. His treatment was not what it could have been. People ‘like him’ were not given the respect they deserved. I will always wonder, if he had been given the best medical treatments and drugs available, would he have had a better quality of life? Would he have lived a longer life? I will never know.”
“Vietnam took him away from me for a couple of years and when he came back he was very different. Growing up a country boy and then being thrown into a world of fighting, death and destruction destroyed his youth; his spirit. I loved him no matter what was happening inside him. But he was misunderstood by many, including family, so after a couple of years he moved to Arizona. He was a hardworking man. He also loved the ladies… When he died a couple of years later [of AIDS], I was devastated. My precious brother and best friend was gone. The ‘system’ was not very kind to him. His treatment was not what it could have been. People ‘like him’ were not given the respect they deserved. I will always wonder, if he had been given the best medical treatments and drugs available, would he have had a better quality of life? Would he have lived a longer life? I will never know.”
A 33-year-old man reflects on the AIDS casualties within his extended family. His cousin passed in 1986, an uncle just two years ago. Three other family members battle the disease today.
“It continuously keeps in perspective that life is both too short and too precious to waste. I hope that the world understands what it means to protect themselves and to protect others. To practice safe habits and do whatever they can to spread the word. Those outside the walls of this disease may never know what it is like for those within it, and that’s perfectly fine. One thing that everyone should keep in mind is that we all hurt and suffer in one way or another. Keep up the hard work and I thank God, My Lord and Savior, for people and organizations like [Until There’s A Cure®].”
“It continuously keeps in perspective that life is both too short and too precious to waste. I hope that the world understands what it means to protect themselves and to protect others. To practice safe habits and do whatever they can to spread the word. Those outside the walls of this disease may never know what it is like for those within it, and that’s perfectly fine. One thing that everyone should keep in mind is that we all hurt and suffer in one way or another. Keep up the hard work and I thank God, My Lord and Savior, for people and organizations like [Until There’s A Cure®].”
A young woman recounts the pain of losing her father:
“AIDS was the second reason my father left me. I was five when he walked out on my family. In the beginning I only wanted to see him but he rarely came home… It was my senior year of high school when I learned he was sick; he told me he had a type of cancer. Despite missing his treatments, he wanted to come back for my graduation. He did come, but the moment I saw him, I knew it was not just cancer. He was so thin and pale. He had sores all over his body, and he had to walk with a cane. It wasn’t until after he went back to New York that my mother tried to tell me what he had. I told her I knew already, AIDS. I got to see him that November for his fiftieth birthday. There was a big party for him. The following morning an ambulance had to take him back to the hospital. He never left that hospital.”
“AIDS was the second reason my father left me. I was five when he walked out on my family. In the beginning I only wanted to see him but he rarely came home… It was my senior year of high school when I learned he was sick; he told me he had a type of cancer. Despite missing his treatments, he wanted to come back for my graduation. He did come, but the moment I saw him, I knew it was not just cancer. He was so thin and pale. He had sores all over his body, and he had to walk with a cane. It wasn’t until after he went back to New York that my mother tried to tell me what he had. I told her I knew already, AIDS. I got to see him that November for his fiftieth birthday. There was a big party for him. The following morning an ambulance had to take him back to the hospital. He never left that hospital.”
Another young woman shares her grief:
“He was lost in this world and slept with a woman that was infected. By the time my father found out he had contracted the disease, he turned his life around to God but it was too late. I miss him dearly and wish he was here with me to know my family as well as my sister’s family.”
“He was lost in this world and slept with a woman that was infected. By the time my father found out he had contracted the disease, he turned his life around to God but it was too late. I miss him dearly and wish he was here with me to know my family as well as my sister’s family.”
A sister remembers her brother:
“I have several of your bracelets in support, hope, and prayer that there will be a cure very soon. And mostly in loving memory to my loving brother.”
“I have several of your bracelets in support, hope, and prayer that there will be a cure very soon. And mostly in loving memory to my loving brother.”
A proud Until There’s A Cure bracelet owner shares his coping strategy for dealing with his partner’s disease:
“I am the cook and decided along time ago that cooking healthy, working out, and a positive mental attitude can do wonders. He is doing great, and this October the 28th it will be 19 years [together]. Thank you for all the work and support you give to finding a cure for HIV!!”
“I am the cook and decided along time ago that cooking healthy, working out, and a positive mental attitude can do wonders. He is doing great, and this October the 28th it will be 19 years [together]. Thank you for all the work and support you give to finding a cure for HIV!!”
A young woman recalls a poignant farewell to her skeletal, 34-year old uncle
A young woman recalls a poignant farewell to her skeletal, 34-year old uncle just before he died of complications from AIDS in 1994. She was only 14. She coped with this devastating loss by writing poems, contributing to the AIDS quilt, walking in the San Francisco AIDS walk, and wearing a bracelet from “Until There’s A Cure®” in his memory. Fast forward to 2009, she writes:
“As a classroom teacher, I have discussed the disease and the impact it has had on my life. AIDS has claimed millions of lives since 1994, and each death is symbolic in that it was a life cut far too short. I hope that in my lifetime a cure for AIDS will be discovered. Until then, I will continue to do all that I can to help fund the research efforts to cure AIDS and continue to speak to my students about the importance of practicing safe sex.”
A young woman recalls a poignant farewell to her skeletal, 34-year old uncle just before he died of complications from AIDS in 1994. She was only 14. She coped with this devastating loss by writing poems, contributing to the AIDS quilt, walking in the San Francisco AIDS walk, and wearing a bracelet from “Until There’s A Cure®” in his memory. Fast forward to 2009, she writes:
“As a classroom teacher, I have discussed the disease and the impact it has had on my life. AIDS has claimed millions of lives since 1994, and each death is symbolic in that it was a life cut far too short. I hope that in my lifetime a cure for AIDS will be discovered. Until then, I will continue to do all that I can to help fund the research efforts to cure AIDS and continue to speak to my students about the importance of practicing safe sex.”
A loving sister remembers her gifted and vivacious brother who died far too young in 1994.
“I miss his impish smile, his love of cooking, the way he clapped his hands and jumped when he was excited. He would throw wildflower seeds around as he was walking to work ‘so there would be surprises in the Spring,’ he said… We created a memorial garden for [him] and for others who have died of AIDS. [He] is buried there, along with others. The garden is full of wildflowers… Every Spring there are surprises.”
“I miss his impish smile, his love of cooking, the way he clapped his hands and jumped when he was excited. He would throw wildflower seeds around as he was walking to work ‘so there would be surprises in the Spring,’ he said… We created a memorial garden for [him] and for others who have died of AIDS. [He] is buried there, along with others. The garden is full of wildflowers… Every Spring there are surprises.”
An adoptive mother of a 14 year old HIV positive boy gives an inspiring witness to the power of love expressed in medical advocacy.
“When I first met him, he lived at a nursery for babies and children affected by HIV. I would watch as he spit out more than half of his medicine… When he came to live with me at two years of age, he was taking medicine 13 times a day, and I was told that I couldn’t be even five minutes late. I lived with alarm clocks to remind me so I would never miss a dose. This was not beneficial to our family life so I took matters into my own hands and researched what he was taking. I was able to see that there were several meds he no longer needed, and the ones he did need could be given at much better times. I got it down to six times a day, then four, and now two. Another struggle came from a very burned out doctor who had seen too many children die and had given up. I asked for resistance testing as my son’s viral load was in the 300,000s. He said it was a waste of time and money and refused. I found a doctor who was not only willing but would not make med decisions without it. We are still in her care, and his viral load has been undetectable since. It was recommended by the new doctor that a g-tube be put in to make med compliance easier. After much thought, we agreed. During his hospital stay for that procedure, the original doctor came to visit and said, ‘I guess some people have to try everything before they give up and realize it is hopeless.’ I believe my son would not have lived if we stayed in his care. Our lives are happy, fairly normal, and HIV is but a small part of our existence. I look forward to watching my son grow into adulthood. I worry that there is not the same fervor to develop new medications and, with the problem of resistance many people have, just a few med regimens left. Thank you for all you do to raise money and awareness to our plight.”
“When I first met him, he lived at a nursery for babies and children affected by HIV. I would watch as he spit out more than half of his medicine… When he came to live with me at two years of age, he was taking medicine 13 times a day, and I was told that I couldn’t be even five minutes late. I lived with alarm clocks to remind me so I would never miss a dose. This was not beneficial to our family life so I took matters into my own hands and researched what he was taking. I was able to see that there were several meds he no longer needed, and the ones he did need could be given at much better times. I got it down to six times a day, then four, and now two. Another struggle came from a very burned out doctor who had seen too many children die and had given up. I asked for resistance testing as my son’s viral load was in the 300,000s. He said it was a waste of time and money and refused. I found a doctor who was not only willing but would not make med decisions without it. We are still in her care, and his viral load has been undetectable since. It was recommended by the new doctor that a g-tube be put in to make med compliance easier. After much thought, we agreed. During his hospital stay for that procedure, the original doctor came to visit and said, ‘I guess some people have to try everything before they give up and realize it is hopeless.’ I believe my son would not have lived if we stayed in his care. Our lives are happy, fairly normal, and HIV is but a small part of our existence. I look forward to watching my son grow into adulthood. I worry that there is not the same fervor to develop new medications and, with the problem of resistance many people have, just a few med regimens left. Thank you for all you do to raise money and awareness to our plight.”
A young woman shares childhood memories of donating food, time, and gifts to the Milwaukee AIDS Project in honor of family friends who were afflicted with the disease. As she came to maturity, her parents told her that her uncle had died of AIDS years before. AIDS wasn’t just a family charity; it was personal.
“My fight against HIV/AIDS has been small but steady. Giving donations in the name of friends and family members instead of a gift cards on birthdays, utilizing products from organizations like UTAC for gifts, knowing that it’s all for a greater good. I have traveled to Africa and witnessed the hardships and triumphs of both the disease and those who are rising to help fight it. My passion to serve those with it runs deep, just like my love for those who have already lost their battle to it.”
“My fight against HIV/AIDS has been small but steady. Giving donations in the name of friends and family members instead of a gift cards on birthdays, utilizing products from organizations like UTAC for gifts, knowing that it’s all for a greater good. I have traveled to Africa and witnessed the hardships and triumphs of both the disease and those who are rising to help fight it. My passion to serve those with it runs deep, just like my love for those who have already lost their battle to it.”
