Petrelis Files

Person With AIDS at White House Signing Makes HOPE Video



Here's an important follow up to my late November post about President Obama signing the HIV Organ Policy Equity Act into law during an Oval Office signing ceremony. Of course, I was quite pleased the act was becoming law and offering much hope to longterm AIDS survivors, myself included, but I was unhappy the White House couldn't verify that a person living with AIDS was at the signing.

Turns out there was a PWA there named Shamey Cramer, which I reported on after some Googling, and I heard from him this week:

I agree, it would have been nice had the White House provided you that information directly, but it certainly doesn't diminish my pride to be there on behalf of all HIV+ Americans for this momentous occasion. Here is a video I produced about my work as a volunteer advocate for the HOPE Act.

Together, as long-term survivors, we can continue to remove the stigma associated with HIV/AIDS. We owe it to those who weren't as fortunate as ourselves.

Please take the the time to watch his very powerful and entertaining video with a healthy dose of patriotic music, if only to see self-empowerment of the highest order, not to mention learn the history of the HOPE Act moved from Congress to the President's desk. Shamey and I also traded a few tweets:

@MichaelPetrelis working on an updated version to include the signing ceremony. will let you know when finished. thanks
— Shamey Cramer (@Shamey68) December 11, 2013

@MichaelPetrelis sounds like a plan and thanks for the support and all the work you do keeping HIV/AIDS in the public eye
— Shamey Cramer (@Shamey68) December 11, 2013

I must give a shout out to Shamey for his reaching out to me and all of his advocacy. He's a true hero in today's movement for longterm AIDS survivors to take care of ourselves and engage with our many allies to stay alive and thrive. Thanks, Shamey!