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What a terribly sad day this is. A huge, huge loss for people with HIV, and all those who fight for them.
This country's most accomplished and influential AIDS treatment activist, Martin Delaney, died just minutes ago at his home in San Rafael, California. Marty was the founder of Project Inform, and I blogged last year about how much he meant to me and so many others.
Among his many accomplishments, Marty was the father of the "parallel track" policy, developed by Anthony Fauci at the NIH in 1989, which allowed patients with AIDS whose condition prevents them from participating in controlled clinical trials to receive promising experimental drugs.
Although not HIV positive himself, Marty's tireless activism with the FDA, NIH and pharma helped save my life, and the lives of thousands of people with HIV/AIDS. He died from inoperable liver cancer stemming from a history of hepatitis B virus infection.
On Monday, Marty was presented with the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) Director’s Special Recognition Award for his many contributions to the fight against HIV/AIDS. Fauci recorded the following video tribute for an event honoring Marty last year:
Those of us who lived through the early days of the unspeakable, then GRID and eventually HIV/AIDS -- and lived to tell the tales -- will never forget Marty's tenacity, intellect and courage.
We owe him a debt of gratitude as a truly brave and enobled advocate, armed with little more than knowledge, who could bend the powers-that-be during very menacing and hostile times.
Marty helped many to save their own lives through the empowerment of information, knowledge and control of one's own medical decisions.
Thank you
I'm in shock. My eyes are wet. I'm out of practice with death. I'm glad the news came from you, though. I just sort of wish we could sit down and have a drink right now.
Christ, now I'm thinking about Jesse Dobson - man, it all just comes flooding back. This is not fun. But, really, it wasn't fun then either.
I feel myself turning incoherent. I better go to sleep. Thanks, Peter.
Some of us owe their lives to Martin whose first and original newsletter on HIV treatments before there were any was a great source of tangible help. While scrambling for solutions in the fight against infection, solutions ranging then from "German enzymes" to "egg lipids" I attribute to Martin the winning notion of creating survival cocktails in the hope for survival. Very sorry to hear that Martin did not find his victorious potion. Rest in peace.
I love what Dudley wrote; "I am out of practice with death."
That probably has a large part to do with Martin. Because of him, I have only seen one friend die in the past 5 years. It was 11 years before that since anyone else has died that I personally know...and I know many, many HIV+ people, and they are all on meds and doing great! Yeah, those "toxic meds" are terrible for us!! Thanks for helping us get those "toxic meds", Martin!!
Sincerely,
J. Todd DeShong