Saturday 8th July was Pride in London and Mildmay were there- at our charity stall to share the message that #LoveHappensHere .
The skies were brilliant blue, the sun’s hat was firmly on and the crowds poured into London to soak up the fantastic atmosphere and enjoy this super special day.
Our selfie frames were a great success carrying our support for Prides message of love, hope and acceptance (as you’ll see from the photos the props went down well too!) People shared their own photographs on social media sharing the message that #LovehappensHere with the world.
We chatted to people about our work as they waited in line for our fantastic face-painter Gwen. People also had the opportunity to share their messages which were pegged up across our stand- one even carried a marriage proposal (she said yes!).
#LoveHappensHere at Mildmay : When Mildmay became the first dedicated HIV/AIDS hospice in Europe almost thirty years ago, we offered dignity, compassion, care and love to people who dying of AIDS-related illness. Today we specialise in rehabilitation, treatment, services and medical care for people with severe and complex health conditions caused by HIV, including HIV associated brain impairment. The good news is that 85% of patients return to independent living on discharge from Mildmay.
The bad news is that stigma still surrounds HIV causing misery and so many problems for those who experience it. Stigma can prevent people from accessing testing and even prevent them from adhering to their life saving medication. Being on effective treatment with an undetectable viral load means someone with HIV cannot pass the virus on. Stigma quite simply gets in the way and we want there to be no place for it. As we face daily reminders of the devastating affect stigma can have on lives, Prides message of #lovehappenshere is an important one and one that at Mildmay we realise every day through our work.
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