In Memory of Linda Grinberg, AIDS Activist

This issue is dedicated to the memory of long-time AIDS activist, Linda Grinberg.

Linda Grinberg, activist and Project Inform Board Member, passed away on Memorial Day from complications of AIDS and pulmonary hypertension. When Linda was first diagnosed in the early 1990s, she had a CD4+ cell count of 30 and was told she had six to twelve months to live.

She set out to beat the odds and began the process of HIV education and empowerment with a call to Project Inform. She quickly realized there was always something a person could do and that no one could predict how long a person with HIV would live. She passed these powerful lessons on to all who would listen to her.

Her fight extended far beyond a struggle for her own survival. She searched out every option and helped support Project Inform. She even set up a foundation, FAIR (Foundation for AIDS and Immune Research). By funding innovative, "proof of concept" studies usually not covered by other grant sources, FAIR has helped launch many important areas of research. She soon became a powerful voice at meetings between the HIV community and pharmaceutical industry.

Linda led the way for other women to speak up and be heard in treatment activist circles. She also helped break down barriers. Other experienced activists quickly saw that she brought new skills and perspective to the table and always pitched in on the hard work.

Linda offered a dramatic example of how much an individual can accomplish, even while fighting multiple life-threatening illnesses. She was a voice for women and all people living with HIV and will be deeply missed.

Back to the Project Inform WISE Words July 2002 contents page.