Photos by Bill Wilson
Timothy Ray Brown was an American considered to be the first person cured of HIV/AIDS. He had been diagnosed with HIV while studying abroad in 1995, and later developed acute myeloid leukemia. In 2008, he was declared to be “The Berlin Patient” at the 2008 Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections. He underwent two stem cell transplantations, and while he never again tested positive for HIV, his leukemia relapsed and Brown died at the age of 54 on September 29, 2020.
For well over a decade preceding his death, Brown worked as a visible and vocal advocate for HIV and cancer research, establishing the Washington, D.C.-based Timothy Ray Brown Foundation dedicated to fighting HIV/AIDS.
To memorialize his life and advocacy, a consortium of nonprofit community partners launched the Timothy Ray Brown “The Berlin Patient” Memorial Online Fundraising Campaign for a boulder in the National AIDS Memorial Grove in San Francisco, and a bench and plaque in Wellness Park adjacent to the Desert Regional Medical Center in Palm Springs. (Brown and his life partner Tim Hoeffgen had moved to Palm Springs in 2015.)
On Saturday, October 16, a dedication ceremony was held at the Grove, where volunteers and representatives of the collaborating organizations participated in the ceremony and planted flowers around the now-installed boulder. We invite you to visit the beautiful site to honor Brown’s legacy as well as to support the ongoing Campaign: https://tinyurl.com/b2cf8z32
Published on October 21, 2021
Recent Comments