A Tribute to Barbara Bush

The following article, written by Tom Rosshirt, was published in 1972 by Creators Syndication. I have permission to reprint this article which talks of Mrs. Bush’s remarkable compassion.

1925 – 2018

Thank You, Mrs. Bush

My brother Matt died of AIDS 26 years ago today, passing away in his bed in my parents’ home in Houston.
It was a benighted time for people with AIDS. There were no antiretrovirals then. There was nothing much you could do for an AIDS patient but hold his hand. And many people still thought you could get AIDS by touching. My parents knew of individuals who’d been fired from their jobs for volunteering for AIDS organizations. That’s how crazy the fear was.
As Matt was dying, we were befriended by a man named Lou Tesconi, a volunteer from the local AIDS organization. Lou came by to visit with Matt and to offer whatever service and kindness he could to my mom and dad.
Shortly after Matt died, Lou began studies to become a Catholic priest. Within the year, he was diagnosed with AIDS and kicked out of the seminary. Lou was a lawyer by training and temperament. He appealed the judgment to a Catholic bishop, who then asked Lou to found and head a ministry for people with AIDS. It was called Damien Ministries and was established in a poor part of Washington, D.C.
In early 1989, when the country was still very ignorant and fearful of AIDS, Lou got a call from the White House. First lady Barbara Bush was planning to visit Grandma’s House, a home for infants with AIDS. It was one of the very first outings in her tenure as first lady, and Lou was asked to join a team of people to brief her privately before the event.
During the briefing, Lou told me later, he said: “Mrs. Bush, it is a fantastic thing that you are holding these babies with AIDS. But the country sees them as innocent and the rest of us with AIDS as guilty. The whole suffering AIDS community needs a collective embrace from you today.”
Lou thought he was speaking metaphorically. Apparently, Mrs. Bush doesn’t do metaphor. She stood up, walked over to Lou and gave him a big hug.
After the briefing, Mrs. Bush took a tour of the facility as she talked to the press. She hugged, kissed and played with three little girls and then nailed the message: “You can hug and pick up babies and people who have … HIV. … There is a need for compassion.”
At the news conference afterward, Lou stood by his point on Mrs. Bush’s visit: “I’m afraid that it may send a message that babies are innocent and can be helped,” he said, “but that the rest of us aren’t.” He added: “I told her it would certainly help to get a collective hug from the first lady.”
Then, again, this time in front of the cameras, Mrs. Bush wrapped Lou up in a big embrace.
Mrs. Bush wrote of this visit in her memoirs. She noted that “even then, people still thought that touching a person with the virus was dangerous.” But she didn’t give herself any credit for dealing a blow against stigma by embracing a gay man with AIDS in 1989.
Lou had a buzz from that hug that never went away.
In the fall of 1991, near Thanksgiving, I got a call from a friend that Lou had gone into the hospital again. He didn’t have to tell me that it was for the last time. I called the White House and asked whether I could speak to the first lady’s office. I was a nobody press secretary on the Hill. I didn’t expect anyone in the White House to talk to me. Suddenly, I was speaking with the first lady’s press secretary, Anna Perez, who had accompanied Mrs. Bush to Grandma’s House that day. I began to recount the events of two years before, and she saved me the time: “I remember Mr. Tesconi,” she said. I explained Lou’s condition and said, “It would be so comforting for him to receive a letter from Mrs. Bush.”
A few days later, I went to see Lou in the hospital. As soon as he saw me, he reached beside his bed with a slow and shaky hand and pulled out a letter: “Look what I got,” he said.
The letter was unflinching and full of love. She didn’t duck the issue that Lou was dying. She used it as a pivot to say, “Well-done.” At the bottom, in her own hand, she wrote to Lou that his life mattered, that he had made an impact.
That was a long time ago. But some things you don’t forget — and shouldn’t. In a time of ignorance, her wise touch eased the sting of exclusion for my friend and many others.
Thank you, Mrs. Bush.

Tom Rosshirt was a national security speechwriter for President Bill Clinton and a foreign affairs spokesman for Vice President Al Gore. To find read features by Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate webpage at www.creators.com. COPYRIGHT 2018 CREATORS.COM

An Unlikely Sisterhood

Standing Strong: The Inspiring Story of an Unlikely Sisterhood and the Court Case That Made History

By Diane Reeve with Jenna Glatzer

A triumphant true crime story in which a diverse group of women band together in a landmark legal case against the man who deceived them all. It’s Dallas Buyers Club meets Erin Brockovich.

Diane Reeve gives her reader a tough pill to swallow with her intensely gut-wrenching, true crime memoir Standing Strong: The Inspiring Story of an Unlikely Sisterhood and the Court Case that Made History (HCI Books — $15.95). Her 7th Degree black belt in martial arts background connects the concentration, the punches to the gut, the restraint, the thrill, the power and the knowledge to any reader that dares to grasp on to this hard-to-put-down book.

In her first chapter, Black Corvette, Diane Reeve accelerates into the moment her life takes a sharp turn. A day meant for sweet memories of her daughter’s wedding halts at a fork in the road of her life. Immediately, the reader has been captured to travel a hard-to-believe real life journey as Reeve unpacks the sick reality that Philippe Padieu, the love of her life, was deliberately infecting multiple women—women in their 20s through 60s, with little in common except their vulnerability and now… HIV.

Diagnosed with AIDs, Diane vowed to stop Philippe from victimizing anyone else despite her plummeting t-cell numbers and declining health. In a race against time, she tracked down as many of his conquests as possible. Against all odds, this unlikely group made legal history, successfully prosecuting Padieu and sending him to prison for assault with a deadly weapon.

It was a sisterhood none of them wanted to belong to, but it became their lifeline as they struggled with anger, the specter and stigma of an HIV diagnosis, and failing health.This fascinating case—won only through the help of new DNA science—is Diane’s story of victory and her mission to bring awareness and empowerment to others. As she explains, “Courage is doing what’s right, even when you’re afraid.”

Highlights from the book:

•    “He made me feel strong yet protected, desired and cherished.”

•    “I was never going to be able to forget this night, June 17, 2006; it would be forever linked with my daughter’s wedding.”

•    “Even though we were all in the same boat, I guess I hoped to be better and prettier than the others.”

•    “If there was anything in my life that I’d like to take back, it was the moment I hit “send” on that first e-mail.

•    “I exhaled. Things were going to be different. This was a man I could trust.”

•    “I was sure he could have just about any woman he wanted, and I was flattered that he chose me.”

•    “I have to do the best I can every day to show people what it is to be a person living with HIV—a real person who is more than just a diagnosis.”

Receiving widespread recognition by the media in 2009, this historical case is exposed once more and even further into the psyche of Diane. Brilliantly written, the reader is able to feel the frustration, depression, hope and the many other inconceivable emotions that Reeve encountered as she fought the battle to bring down a pathological perpetrator, build a sisterhood, and manage her very own health all at the same time. The reader becomes a part of her team and sympathizes yet roots for her courage.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Diane Reeve, “the new face of HIV,” has a B.S. Degree in nursing and a M.Ed. in adult education. Her true calling is teaching martial arts. She holds a 7th Degree black belt in Tae Kwon Do plus black belts in three additional styles. She has been the sole owner of Vision Martial Arts Center in Plano, Texas, for over twenty years and she has promoted over 170 of her own students to black belt. In 2008, she was inducted into the USA Martial Arts Hall of Fame. Diane is also broadening her efforts to be of service to others by speaking out against stigma and victim blaming. She is a popular speaker on the topics of AIDS awareness and women’s empowerment, and has become an avid advocate and activist for women.

Jenna Glatzer is the author or ghostwriter of more than 25 books. Her recent work includes The Marilyn Monroe Treasures, a Barnes & Noble bestseller; The Pregnancy Project with Gaby Rodriguez, also made into a Lifetime movie, and the authorized biography, Celine Dion: For Keeps.

Standing Strong: The Inspiring Story of an Unlikely Sisterhood
and the Court Case That Made History
By Diane Reeve with Jenna Glatzer
HCI Books / April 2016/Available wherever books are sold
Paperback / $15.95– ISBN: 9780757319020
Publishers contact info for direct orders: (800) 441-5569 or www.hcibooks.com

 

read an excerpt

HBO DOC “THE BATTLE OF AMFAR”

THE BATTLE OF AMFAR

THE STORY OF THE RESEARCH SCIENTIST AND

HOLLYWOOD ICON WHO JOINED FORCES TO CREATE

AMERICA’S FIRST AIDS RESEARCH FOUNDATION,

MAKES ITS PRIME-TIME DEBUT DEC. 2, EXCLUSIVELY ON HBO

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Film Has Sneak Peak Dec. 1 On HBO2
To Commemorate World AIDS Day

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             In the darkest days of the AIDS pandemic, two very different women – Hollywood superstar Elizabeth Taylor and research scientist Dr. Mathilde Krim – joined forces to create amfAR (American Foundation for AIDS Research), America’s first AIDS research foundation. The fight against HIV/AIDS would never be the same again.

             Directed by Rob Epstein (HBO’s Oscar^®-winning “Common Threads: Stories from the Quilt”) and Jeffrey Friedman (HBO’s Emmy^®-winning “The Celluloid Closet”), and executive produced by iconic New York fashion designer and amfAR chairman Kenneth Cole, THE BATTLE OF AMFAR tells the story of the unlikely pairing of these extraordinary women, who came together to fight the disease. To mark World AIDS Day, the thought-provoking documentary has a sneak peak SUNDAY, DEC. 1 (3:45 p.m.-4:30 p.m. ET/PT) on HBO2, followed by its prime-time debut MONDAY, DEC. 2 (9:00-9:45 p.m. ET/PT), exclusively on HBO.

Other HBO playdates: Dec. 2 (5:15 a.m.), 5 (2:45 p.m.), 7 (5:10 a.m.), 8 (5:00 p.m.), 10 (10:30 a.m., 12:30 a.m.), 14 (11:45 a.m.) and 25 (5:20 a.m.)

Other HBO2 playdates: Dec. 4 (8:00 p.m.), 12 (1:45 p.m.), 16 (3:45 p.m., 12:30 a.m.), 21 (10:50 a.m.) and 31 (5:15 p.m.)

HBO Documentary Films presents a weekly series this fall, debuting provocative new specials every Monday through Dec. 9. Other upcoming films include: “Crisis Hotline: Veterans Press 1” (Nov. 11); “Whoopi Goldberg Presents Moms Mabley” (Nov. 18); “Toxic Hot Seat” (Nov. 25); and “Six by Sondheim” (Dec. 9).

In 1981, research scientist Dr. Mathilde Krim learned of unusual cancer cases, all of which involved gay men, that were showing up in the medical practice of a friend. A politically and socially active New Yorker, she was eager to learn all she could about the disease, and when people began to die, the potential magnitude of the problem became a concern. In response, Dr. Krim and a few colleagues committed their own money to gaining a better understanding of the disease.

AIDS research found an unlikely ally in Hollywood icon Elizabeth Taylor, who was devastated by the loss of her good friend, actor Rock Hudson, to the disease. When Dr. Krim called Taylor to see if she would be interested in getting involved with the cause, the actress agreed immediately, and amfAR, the first national organization to mobilize the scientific community in the fight against AIDS, was born. As they started speaking out about the disease and the need for research, Krim recalled that Taylor “was terrific. She was moving. The public responded to her.”

While Dr. Krim focused on energizing the scientific community through her professional, political and social connections, Elizabeth Taylor worked alongside activist groups and supported groundbreaking legislation such as The Ryan White CARE Act, leveraging her celebrity to bring media attention to HIV/AIDS.

Taylor delivered emotional testimony before Congress, declaring, “No one is safe…It is not just a minority disease. It belongs to all of us. I ask here and now for the national leadership that is necessary to fully appropriate this bill. Because I will continue to come and ask for it again, and again…And I will not be silenced, and I will not give up, and I will not be ignored.” She pressured President Reagan to acknowledge the existence of HIV/AIDS as a worldwide pandemic and convinced him to speak at an amfAR fundraiser.

Both women were leaders, sharing an activist spirit. “Dr. Krim was very impatient about what she saw as red tape, and Elizabeth was too, and I think that’s what they had in common, that activist spirit,” notes Taylor’s former publicist, Sally Morrison, who was an early amfAR employee.

By the mid-’90s, AIDS was the leading cause of death for Americans age 25 to 44. In 1996, research partially funded by amfAR led to lifesaving new drugs that made HIV/AIDS treatable, a diagnosis that no longer guaranteed a death sentence. Facing the prospect of patients requiring lifelong therapy to survive, however, amfAR continued its diligent search for a cure.

In addition to recent and archival interviews with Krim and archival footage of Taylor, THE BATTLE OF AMFAR features interviews with amfAR chairman Kenneth Cole, AIDS activist Richard Berkowitz, philanthropist Aileen Getty (Elizabeth Taylor’s daughter-in-law), journalist Regan Hofmann, New York University microbiologist Dr. Nathanial Landau, AIDS researcher Dr. Jeffrey Laurence, researcher Dr. Mario Stevenson and Black AIDS Institute founder Phill Wilson, among others.

Since its inception in 1985, amfAR has invested more than $366 million in HIV/AIDS-related research programs and awarded grants to more than 2,000 research teams worldwide. Elizabeth Taylor passed away in 2011, but Dr. Krim and amfAR continue their quest for a cure. Someone is infected with HIV in the U.S. every ten minutes, and an estimated 30 million people have died from AIDS since the epidemic began. Although the war against AIDS is not over, the great victories in the history of research could not have been won without these two women, who stood up for the good of truth and human dignity in the face of illness and fear.

Rob Epstein and Jeffrey Friedman’s previous HBO credits include the Oscar^®-winning “Common Threads: Stories from the Quilt,” the Emmy^®-winning “The Celluloid Closet” and “Paragraph 175.” Epstein also directed the Oscar^®-winning film “The Times of Harvey Milk.”

For more information, visit: http://www.thebattleofamfar.com; Facebook: facebook.com/hbodocs; Twitter: @HBODocs #BattleofamfAR

THE BATTLE OF AMFAR was directed and produced by Rob Epstein and Jeffrey Friedman; executive produced by Kenneth Cole; produced and written by Sharon Wood; edited by Michael Palmieri; music by Jeff Beal.

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