Prince Harry Pens Letter Honoring Mother Diana’s Legacy and AIDS Activism – NBC 7 San Diego
[ad_1]
Wednesday is a day dedicated to raising awareness about AIDS and honoring both those who live with the disease and those who have died from it.
For this year’s World AIDS Day, Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex, wrote a letter about the work done in the fight against AIDS and the work that needs to be done in the current pandemic.
And in it he mentions the woman who inspired his passion for such subjects – his mother, the late Princess Diana.
“On this World AIDS Day we pay tribute to the 40 years that have shaped the lives of many people,” he wrote in the message to the Director General of the World Health Organization, Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, and UNAIDS Executive Director Winnie Byanyima. “We honor those whose lives have been shortened and reaffirm our commitment to a scientific community that has worked tirelessly against this disease. My mother would be deeply grateful to you for all that you stand for and what you have achieved. We all share this gratitude, so thank you very much. “
Diana, Princess of Wales, has long been credited with an important role in changing public opinion about AIDS and HIV, the infection that can lead to the disease.
In the 1980s and early 1990s, at a time when many were ostracized and feared because of her diagnosis, she visited hospitals and orphanages, often hugging patients and holding her hands. She later became a patron of the UK’s National AIDS Trust and an outspoken advocate fighting the stigma of AIDS.
But Harry’s letter drew a parallel between AIDS activists and another breed of activist – one that didn’t exist during his mother’s lifetime.
“It is striking to see that the world’s leading AIDS activists are now also leading the call for COVID-19 vaccine justice,” said the 37-year-old. “Vaccinating the world is a test of our moral character, and we are experiencing spectacular failure when it comes to global vaccine equality. Similar to the AIDS crisis, we showed again last year that the value of life depends on whether you were born in a rich country and / or live in a developing country. “
He warned that without global initiatives, without “breaking pharmaceutical monopolies” and without nations keeping their promises to deliver vaccine doses to everyone, “potentially more dangerous variants of COVID-19 will emerge”.
This is why equality is so important in medicine.
“It is time to learn from the lessons we learned during the HIV / AIDS pandemic that saw millions die unnecessarily from deep inequalities in access to treatment,” he said. “Is it really good for us to repeat the mistakes of the past?”
If you look at the young people who have benefited from Sentebale, the charity he founded in southern Africa to help children living in the poverty and devastation caused by AIDS / HIV, he finds the answer.
“Everything I learned from Sentebale’s youth doesn’t tell me,” he wrote. “You see how destructive and self-destructive it is to repeat these mistakes, it is a betrayal of the next generation.”
He concluded, “Let’s spend this day celebrating and building on the work of the champions who turned what was once a death sentence into a manageable state. Let’s spend tomorrow continuing our efforts to save lives and make a difference. “
Related:
This story first appeared on TODAY.com. More from TODAY:
[ad_2]
Source link
