Yesterday would have been the 66th birthday of Elizabeth Glaser. Elizabeth – a mother, wife and American AIDS activist – contracted HIV from a contaminated blood transfusion while giving birth to her daughter in 1981. Four years later, she learned that she had HIV and had unknowingly passed the virus to her daughter through breast milk and to her son in utero.
I was first fascinated by Elizabeth’s story during my freshman year of college. But it wasn’t until I started working in health communications that I realized the incredible impact of her determination, persistence and passion to help her children and children around the world living with HIV/AIDS.
One woman gives hope to children living with HIV around the world.
Seeking treatment for her daughter, Elizabeth discovered that drug companies and health agencies were unaware of the prevalence of HIV among children. Her daughter lost the battle with AIDS at the age of 7, and Elizabeth feared that her son’s life was also in danger. She decided to take action. With help from friends, Elizabeth created the Pediatric AIDS Foundation (PAF) in an effort to raise money for pediatric HIV/AIDS research.
Elizabeth tirelessly worked to raise public awareness of HIV infection in kids. She traveled to Washington, D.C. to meet with President Reagan, President Bush, members of Congress and representatives at NIH to encourage government funding of AIDS research. Her efforts resulted in research on mother-to-child transmission and funding for the development of pediatric AIDS drugs.
This story of health and life science progress continues.
At the age of 47, Elizabeth lost her battle with AIDS, but her legacy continues through PAF, now known as the Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation (EGPAF). Through research, advocacy, and prevention and treatment programs, EGPAF has become the leading global nonprofit organization dedicated to preventing pediatrics HIV infection and eliminating pediatric AIDS.
Elizabeth was able to raise awareness about a disease that people knew very little about, even when she knew very little about it herself. She wasn’t a doctor or a scientist or even an experienced public health communicator. She was a mom wanting to save her child’s life.
Elizabeth’s story has taught me that a powerful advocacy spokesperson is often one with personal experience with the cause, while hard work, determination, and passion are also key ingredients to make a difference.
Can you think of other advocates who made a difference in our understanding of health?