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December 1 is World AIDS Day
Photo by Jemma Biro
One day at a time
“I think people need to know that the disease crosses into all walks of life. You know, your dentist may have it. Your baker, your butcher, your priest, your bank manager, your doctor.” Rev. Michael Forshaw, of St. Paul’s Church in Vancouver, Diocese of New Westminster, the first Anglican priest in Canada to come out as a gay man, is fighting a battle against AIDS . At 64, Rev. Forshaw has a severely weakened immune system and is dying. “People think there’s a quick fix for AIDS- you can just take a pill-but it’s not that simple,” said Rev.Forshaw. Early this year, Rev. Forshaw with five other men began receiving doses of Belgian-made TMC-114 and TMC-125, under the care of AIDS specialist Dr. Julio Montaner. The group had demanded access to the two anti-retroviral drugs under a Health Canada Special Access Program, intended to provide access to drugs unavailable in Canada on “compassionate” grounds. Initially, Health Canada barred the drugs, saying they had not been shown to be safe.
