Since the 1980s, the AIDS Resource Center of Wisconsin (ARCW) has been on the frontline of the fight against the spread of HIV (Human Immunodeficiency Virus) and AIDS (Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome) in multiple ways and on multiple fronts.
Some have begun to think that the problem has been defeated, but ARCW president and CEO Mike Gifford warns against complacency. “There is a misperception about how patients manage HIV and AIDS,” he says. “Many pharmaceutical companies use advertising showing people with HIV mountain climbing and, while we’re happy for those folks, the reality is that the one-pill-a-day regimen only works for a portion of our patients. The issues of side effects and accelerated aging make HIV very complicated to live with.”
Both HIV and AIDS consist of a spectrum of health conditions caused by infection with the virus, which has a most unfortunate away of lurking unnoticed in the human body for a long period of time post-infection. This relative dormancy has allowed HIV to spread rather rapidly and widely throughout human civilization—totally without regard to the age, sex, ethnicity, socioeconomic status or sexual orientation of those it infects.
A cure for HIV has proven elusive, but antiretroviral treatment can slow the course of the disease and can lead to near-normal life expectancies for those infected. Still, treatment is most successful when an HIV diagnosis is arrived at early; with no medical treatment whatsoever, a person’s survival time with an HIV infection is 11 years.
Today, about 8,300 people are living with HIV/AIDS in Wisconsin. According to the Wisconsin Department of Health Services, an estimated 1,200 people are living with the disease and are undiagnosed in our state. ARCW is the place where many victims of the illness turn for assistance.
By registering or raising pledges for rides and walks sponsored by ARCW, “you’re providing social justice by leveling a playing field for people who really need our help,” says Dan Mueller, ARCW vice president and chief development officer. “You’re ensuring equal access to high quality health care, and you’re strengthening the very medical home model of care that is an example to the country in how HIV patients live longer and healthier lives with their disease. Plus, we promise a good time. Activism still counts—even if you’re having fun.”
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AIDS Ride Turns 17
“I look forward to this every year,” says Kristin Mathews. “It’s like three days of therapy with an army of supporters.” Mathews, a long-time ARCW supporter, is describing AIDS Ride Wisconsin, which is now in its 17th year. It takes place July 26-28 and consists of a 275-mile bike ride through southern Wisconsin. Over those 17 years, Mathews has not only biked countless miles but also volunteered as a ride crew member, worked on the event’s steering committee and has become one of AIDS Ride Wisconsin’s top fundraisers, raising more than $140,000 total thus far toward the fight against HIV/AIDS.
“AIDS Ride Wisconsin is very personal to me,” Mathews explains. “Some close friends of mine passed away from AIDS-related illnesses, and each time, I remember feeling helpless. I wanted to make a difference, but I didn’t know how.
“I am continually amazed at how even a single person’s efforts can impact a whole community,” Mathews continues. I’ve realized that my passion is contagious; I now have friends and family who eagerly await my participation in AIDS Ride Wisconsin and have a check already written out to contribute.” Even with this global pandemic still in full force, there are people who have yet to be impacted (directly or indirectly) by HIV/AIDS. That said, we’re all human; we’re all in this together, Mathews acknowledges. “Even people who haven’t been personally affected by HIV/AIDS can still make a big difference in someone else’s life. At their core, everyone on this bike ride believes all humans deserve to live long, healthy lives,” she says. “Every participant will make a significant, direct impact on the lives of others in our community.”
AIDS Walk Turns 30
The annual AIDS Walk Wisconsin/5K Run is the largest HIV/AIDS fundraising event in Wisconsin. It marks its 30th year in 2019 and takes place Saturday, Oct. 5, on the Summerfest grounds. Highlights include morning entertainment and activities, continental breakfast and an opening program with special guests. The route will be fully supported with themed rest stops, medical support, food and water.
Over the decades, ARCW’s annual walk-run event has raised more than $13.5 million. Taking place entirely along Milwaukee’s lakefront, it has brought together more than 130,000 walkers, runners and volunteers since 1990—all of whom have raised pledges to help people with HIV/AIDS live longer, happier and healthier lives.
“Thirty years of bringing people together in the community, and from different walks of life, in the fight against AIDS is astonishing and a proud moment for ARCW,” says Mueller. “We hope to give recognition to this milestone year and reflect back on where we’ve been, how far we’ve come and how much further we have to go to end this epidemic. We are hopeful that, within the next 30 years, a cure is found, and we will continue to do the meaningful work to get there.”
Funds raised through such highly visible public events as ARCW’s Walk/Run go toward the organization’s many services, ranging from medical, mental health and dental treatment to food pantry and social services access, not to mention community education efforts.
“Wisconsin is one of the few states in the country that has never had a waiting list for HIV-care treatment, and efforts like the AIDS Walk and Run allow us to keep it that way,” Gifford says. “One hundred percent of the pledges raised from the Walk/Run stay in Wisconsin for the fight against HIV here,” says Mueller. Last year’s event raised $403,790.
For more information about ARCW, call 800-359-9272 or visit arcw.org. For more information about the 2019 AIDS Walk Wisconsin/5K Run, call 800-348-9255 or visit aidswalkwis.org. For more information about AIDS Ride Wisconsin, call 608-316-8619 or visit aidsridewis.org.
