We Have Not Abandoned the Principles or Communities We Serve, Neither Should PHAC

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“We Have Not Abandoned the Principles or Communities We Serve, Neither Should PHAC” was a speech written and given at a World AIDS Day rally in Vancouver by Daryl Luster. Daryl is a hep C advocate who is PHCN’s president, a member of the Executive Steering Committee for Action Hepatitis Canada (AHC), a counselor for the Help-4-Hep helpline, and the administrator of multiple peer support groups. Daryl was cured of hep C in 2010 while participating in a clinical trial.

We Have Not Abandoned the Principles or Communities We Serve, Neither Should PHAC

On this World AIDS Day we stand here in solidarity with our colleagues who have worked for years to serve the HIV community. We honour those we have lost and celebrate the contributions made by community based organizations here, across Canada, and the world.

In the community of those living with and at risk for hepatitis C, including the HIV/HCV co-infected population, we have seen amazing advances in the science, in that hep C is now curable and HIV is now manageable.

This is what I celebrate as an advancement.