In this Mother’s Day season, POZ honors moms who lost sons to HIV and, in the process, dove into AIDS advocacy and activism. Each of these women—whose children contracted HIV in the 1980s, a time of panic and severe stigma—shaped their initial confusion, shock and feelings of helplessness into a lifelong passion. They continue to raise awareness, sharing their struggles and accomplishments, which for them became a journey of self-discovery.
Meet AIDS lobbyist Suzanne Benzer, who helped launch the national advocacy group Mothers' Voices; renowned 81-year-old activist Sue Caves; Daytime Emmy-nominated film and soap opera star Marj Dusay; and Freda Wagman, author of Snippets from the Trenches: a mother’s AIDS memoir.
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comments 1 - 2 (of 2 total)
Mario, Palm Springs, 2008-05-15 13:32:56
Beautiful article. Made me cry tears of sorrow, joy, pride, and hope. I love you mom. To all the women who embrace this fight, Thank you and Keep it up!
Freda Wagman, Bellaire, TX, 2008-05-14 23:57:43
Just a quick note to thank you for the article about my son, Gary, and I. I will write a real letter to you tomorrow.
Woman of the Month: Loreen Willenberg, Advocate for HIV Clinical Trials
Woman of the Month is supported by exclusive advertising from Gilead.
Overheard in the Women's Forum
"Mini was "outed" by her brother—and in Wal-Mart, no less! She was just a bitty baby and he was probably 3 1/2 - 4yrs old. We were waiting in line to check out and a lady sneezed (or coughed) in front of us. Our oldest told the lady something along the lines of, she needed to be careful because his sister has HIV and the lady could make her sick. He was LOUD! I checked out and all but ran to the car, half expecting the natives to be in hot pursuit with pitchforks and torches. Yeah, this is the same kid who, in the same Wal-Mart, announced that a watermelon seed came out his butt!"
