Timothy Ray Brown “The Berlin Patient” Memorial Campaign and Community Consortium Announced
Campaign Aims to Raise Awareness and Funds to Establish Memorials in San Francisco and Palm Springs
 
San Francisco & Palm Springs, Feb. 10, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- A consortium HIV/AIDS organizations have launched the Timothy Ray Brown “The Berlin Patient” Memorial Campaign (TRB Memorial Campaign), a community effort to memorialize Brown’s journey and life. The consortium will raise funds for a memorial boulder with a touching inscription in the National AIDS Memorial Grove in San Francisco and a memorial bench and plaque in Wellness Park adjacent to the Desert Regional Medical Center in Palm Springs.
Timothy Ray Brown was an American considered to be the first person cured of HIV/AIDS. Brown was diagnosed with HIV while studying abroad in Berlin, Germany in 1995, and later developed acute myeloid leukemia. Brown underwent two stem cell transplantations and discontinued antiretroviral therapy. By the end of 2007, it appeared that the treatment worked – both for his viral infection and for his cancer. Brown was called "The Berlin Patient" at the 2008 Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections, where his cure was first announced, and after which he dedicated his life to supporting research to search for a cure for HIV. Brown’s leukemia recently returned, and he passed away on September 29, 2020.
The coordinating consortium consists of the National AIDS Memorial, Let’s Kick A.S.S. Palm Springs (LKAPS), amfAR-The Foundation for AIDS Research, Desert Healthcare District & Foundation, HIV & AIDS Research Project-Palm Springs (HARP-PS), and Until There’s A Cure Foundation. The National AIDS Memorial is serving as fiscal sponsor for the Campaign.
"The National AIDS Memorial holds the awesome responsibility to tell the story of the AIDS crisis and to ensure all lives lost are never forgotten," said John Cunningham, National AIDS Memorial Executive Director. "Timothy Ray Brown is truly a hero and to have his name engraved upon a boulder in the Memorial Grove will ensure future generations will know how in life he touched so many. We are honored to play a role in helping to make this special project a reality."
The consortium is collaborating with Tim Hoeffgen, Brown’s life partner, in the effort. "I am so happy that the HIV community and family and friends are supporting to help memorialize Timothy Brown's activism and legacy at the AIDS Memorial Grove in San Francisco and the Wellness Park in Palm Springs. Having a place to visit and meditate on Timothy’s life is what I envisioned, and I am extremely grateful for this outpouring of support," stated Hoeffgen.
A special donation website has been created for contributions, with 100% of the tax-deductible funds raised directly supporting the memorials. For more information, contact campaign coordinator Jim McBride at (415) 793-2370 or jimmcbride59@gmail.com.
Click HERE to access a media kit with photos and additional information about Timothy.
More About Timothy Ray Brown
The Black History Month exhibition coincides with National Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day #NBHAAD on February 7, 2021. The exhibition is free to the public and can be viewed at www.aidsmemorial.org through March 31, 2021. Visitors to the site can also view all 48,000 panels of the Quilt and search for the names of loved ones who have a panel made in their memory.
Timothy Ray Brown was an American considered to be the first person cured of HIV/AIDS. Timothy was diagnosed with HIV while studying abroad in 1995, and later developed acute myeloid leukemia. Timothy underwent two stem cell transplantations and discontinued antiretroviral therapy. By the end of 2007, it appeared that the treatment worked – both for his viral infection and for his cancer.
Timothy was called "The Berlin Patient" at the 2008 Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections, where his cure was first announced, and after which he dedicated his life to supporting research to search for a cure for HIV. Timothy moved back to the United States in 2010, and to San Francisco in 2012. Shortly thereafter, Timothy met his life partner, Tim Hoeffgen. The couple moved to Palm Springs in 2015.
Over the last decade, Timothy became a visible and vocal advocate for HIV and cancer research. He traveled to many conferences around the world to tell his story and inspired researchers, activists, and patients living with HIV. He established the Washington, D. C.-based Timothy Ray Brown Foundation dedicated to fighting HIV/AIDS. He also inspired the establishment of IciStem, a collaborative project to guide and investigate the potential for HIV cure by stem cell transplantation. In 2015, he published “I Am the Berlin Patient: A Personal Reflection”.
Timothy never again tested positive for HIV. His leukemia, however, relapsed last year and Timothy passed away on September 29, 2020. He was 54.
# # #
About the National AIDS Memorial
The National AIDS Memorial, through the AIDS Memorial Grove, AIDS Memorial Quilt, and inspiring programs, helps ensure that the story of AIDS and the AIDS movement is known in perpetuity so that never again will our national conscience allow a community to be devastated by an epidemic because of fear, silence, discrimination or stigma. The memorial relies solely on funding from personal donors, foundations and corporate partners to support its mission and programs. Learn more at www.aidsmemorial.org.
Media contact: Newsroom
Kevin Herglotz
National AIDS Memorial
415-874-9650
kherglotz@aidsmemorial.org
Jim McBride
Campaign Coordinator
415-793-2370
jimmcbride59@gmail.com
Source: https://www.globenewswire.com/news-release/2021/02/10/2173462/0/en/Timothy-Ray-Brown-The-Berlin-Patient-Memorial-Campaign-and-Community-Consortium-Announced.html
Original Source: www.aidsmemorial.org/
"Reproduced with permission - National AIDS Memorial"
National AIDS Memorial
For more HIV and AIDS News visit...
Positively Positive - Living with HIV/AIDS:
HIV/AIDS News
|
