World AIDS Day 2016

We've come so far. In the beginning, we didn't even know what to call it. We didn't know how it was spread. Now, we can medically keep viral loads undetectable and therefore unspreadable. Now, thanks to PrEP, no one need contract HIV. Now, because of combination therapies (conveniently packaged in a single tablet), we can live vibrant, healthy, and long lives. Now, we can (and in Broward Co., do), have a zero rate of transferrance from mother to child. Now, HepC co-infection is less threatening as HepC is curable. And now, because of much research on many fronts, some scientists believe a cure could be found within a decade. This WAD, I bless the memories of those we lost too soon. I bless the courage of those who survived and those who did not. And I bless the power of hope that has sustained us all this time. And, as I have since the 80s, I continue to pray for a cure for AIDS...I know its on the way! Amen.

Dear God, we continue to pray for a cure for AIDS. We are thankful for life-saving therapies. We are thankful that we can prevent the spread of HIV. We are thankful that medical advances continue to be made. We bless the memories of those we have lost along the way, and we continue to hope and pray for a world where AIDS is a memorial to human resilience but no longer an incurable infection. This World AIDS Day, we remember. We hope. We give thanks. Hear our prayer, O God. Amen.