What We're Reading: The Belfiore Family – Advocates for Children Living With HIV
Posted by
Robert Yule
Washington, D.C.
July 12, 2010
On Sunday,
the New Jersey Star-Ledger profiled the Belfiore family, longtime friends and supporters of the Foundation.
In 1990, Susan and Bill Belfiore adopted four HIV-positive toddlers from Romania, none of whom were expected to survive past childhood. Twenty years later, Ramona, Ionel, Mihaela, and Loredana are healthy young adults, and they and their younger brother Aidan all have bright futures ahead of them.
Along the way, Susan Belfiore became an outspoken advocate, testifying before Congress on behalf of the Foundation to insist that all HIV drugs, other medicines, and medical devices are developed so that they are safe and effective for children as well as adults.
Bill Belfiore currently serves on the
Foundation’s Board, and the Belfiore children speak to students at Dance Marathons and other Foundation events to raise awareness about the AIDS pandemic and to fight stigma.
Bill Belfiore (left) and his daughter Ramona participate in AIDS Walk Africa 2007
in Tanzania. (Photo: Jon Hrusa)
The family has also participated in the Foundation’s international work, attending
AIDS Walk Africa in South Africa, Tanzania, and Swaziland, where they met parents and children facing the same challenges with HIV and AIDS across the world.
Throughout it all, Susan tells the Star-Ledger how Elizabeth Glaser served as a symbol of perseverance for her:
"It’s the fight that she had to go through to save her kids that has often inspired me," she said. "It went from her kids to globally now."
Read more about the Belfiore family’s inspiring story.
Robert Yule is the Foundation’s Media Manager in Washington, D.C.