By the mid-1980s, knowledge of HIV and AIDS had entered the public consciousness. Safer sex practices and prevention messaging were being promoted by advocacy and support groups, medical organisations and the government.
But an HIV diagnosis was still considered by many to be a death sentence. There was no treatment in those years, and, for most, the only support that could be offered was grief counselling and palliative care.
Jane Bruning, Bruce Kilmister and Michael Stevens, long-term survivors living with HIV, share their experiences and reflections on the most challenging chapter of the HIV and AIDS response here and across the globe.
Thanks for listening to Our Forgotten Epidemic, a show about Aotearoa New Zealand’s response to HIV and AIDS, and some of the many brave individuals who changed the course of history.
Burnett Foundation Aotearoa is proud to be able to tell part of this important story from the perspectives of some truly remarkable people. And we want to acknowledge there’s so much more than we can tell in this short series.