Survival allows the story to be told

In this, our 30th year of empowering people living with HIV with support and information, we look back and see recurring themes. Medical advances. Political battles. Frontline challenges. The stories come and go, and years or decades later, some become outdated.

But it’s the personal journeys that raise the spirit and often pierce the heart, and so remain immortal. And so we say good-bye to this anniversary in a fitting issue, alongside our anti-stigma photo campaign, A Day with HIV. In dozens of vignettes, readers living with and without HIV speak to overcoming stigma and thriving, and working to educate and help end the epidemic.

“Raising Your HIV Survival Chances” (October 1991) is one cover that speaks perfectly to our anniversary—each one. Inside, the editor’s note tells us, “If you look carefully at our front cover, you’ll notice that the dice on the left are ‘fixed.’ One has 5 dots on each side’ the other has only 6 or 2 dots. Any way you roll these dice, you get 7 or 11. Clearly, your chances are increased.

“Do HIV-positive people have ways to increase their chances of survival? Today, more than ever, the answer is ‘yes.’ … We trust you and your friends will benefit from these reports.”

La 12a. Conferencia Mundial del SIDA

Autumn 1998, For several years, a quarterly Spanish-language edition was published, such as this issue covering the 12th International AIDS Conference.

“You Should Be Reading…”

July 1991, As shown by many community-based publications now gone, Positively Aware, like many people living with HIV, is itself a long-term survivor.