Lisa Sterman's
AIDS/LifeCycle Homepage

I'm Riding to End AIDS

To my dear and supportive friends,

My heart-felt thanks for your incredibly generous past support of my involvement in the AIDS life cycle fundraising event. As you all know this event has grown larger by the year, raising well over 11 million dollars for HIV and AIDS services in San Francisco and LA last year alone. YOU are all the reason for the event’s success. Your past donations have helped provide vital services for people living with HIV, some  of whom I have the honor of personally providing medical care for. I have seen these dollars at work, seen these donations change people’s lives for the better. I want to remind each and every one of you of the impact you have had directly on the lives of people who live with this incurable disease. 

Over the last 2 AIDS life cycles that I have participated in, you, as my donors have collectively raised over $40,000.00 for the San Francisco AIDS foundation and its’ ever-challenging work.  That is an incredible achievement, as a community, working together. Think of the difference we have made, the lives WE have touched. Sadly, however, HIV continues to spread, and even more tragically, despite enormous scientific effort, there is truly no cure in sight.

I have just returned from the largest scientific-based HIV annual meeting in the world. We as physicians and scientists are heartened by the explosion of efforts made to contain this pandemic. In the past year we have seen the introduction of 3 new drugs that are effective against resistant HIV, many offer improved tolerability as well. You see, we need new medications, because even with over 20 medications to treat this virus, it continues to mutate and require more complex treatment.

Despite our efforts to treat with and develop new medications, and improve quality of life for patients limitations have begun to emerge. There are currently NO new promising medications which look to be available for the next 3-5 years, and so now more than ever we all need to focus on prevention.

Looking ahead, the San Francisco AIDS foundation’s prevention efforts will become even more crucial in the years to come. I am riding this year again because I see how vital this prevention effort will need to be . We do not have a vaccine or hope of a cure for HIV at this time. We will run out of medications at some point to treat this disease, for some that time is already approaching. I ask you to support ALL of us who are working towards prevention of HIV and continued access to services for patients. Please donate to this year’s AIDS life cycle. Your donation DIRECTLY supports our tireless efforts to provide care, services, prevention messages, and continued love and dignity to the people living with HIV in our community.

You have my heart felt thanks,

Lisa Sterman