Love, Loss & Life: Real Stories From The AIDS Pandemic

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Krishen Samuel, born in Johannesburg, South Africa in 1986, studied Speech-Language Pathology in Cape Town before pursuing a Master’s degree in Global Health, Public Health and Policy in London. 
 Despite being born after the AIDS pandemic began, he grew up in a country with some of the highest HIV infection rates in the world. Since being diagnosed with HIV in 2009, he has been driven to share his experience and ensure that the events of the 80s and 90s are not forgotten.
 He has written for The Huffington Post UK on HIV/AIDS and LGBTQ issues and is currently doing his PhD in Public Health on a Fulbright scholarship in the US. 

This podcast series features stories taken from our first book, a collection of essays, reflections, and testimonies also entitled ‘Love, Loss & Life’ which you can buy here.

An audiobook is also available here.

Visit the National HIV Story Trust website

Your feedback means a great deal to us. Please text us your thoughts by clicking on this link.

Richard Leaf, an English writer, pursued his education in San Francisco and then embarked on a career in theatre. His journey led him to the Royal Shakespeare Company and appearances in notable films such as Braveheart, Hannibal Rising, The Fifth Element, and Harry Potter and The Order of The Phoenix.  In the early 80s, he bore witness to the challenges of the AIDS pandemic in San Francisco, and in the 1990s, he devoted himself to volunteering at the Mildmay Hospice, an experience that left an indelible mark on his heart.

He says the shared struggles of having HIV/AIDS fostered generosity and encouragement between individuals at the Mildmay hospice.  Their shared experience of facing a terminal illness and stigma brought them together to support each other through difficult times, which Richard Leaf admires as an embodiment of unconditional love.

This podcast series features stories taken from our first book, a collection of essays, reflections, and testimonies also entitled ‘Love, Loss & Life’ which you can buy here.

An audiobook is also available here.

Visit the National HIV Story Trust website

Your feedback means a great deal to us. Please text us your thoughts by clicking on this link.

Dr. Graeme Moyle graduated from medical school in Adelaide, Australia in 1986. His interest in infectious diseases led him to the UK in 1988 to specialise in HIV medicine and research. Much of his career has been associated with the Kobler Clinic in London, part of Chelsea and Westminster Hospital. 
In 1996, new classes of medications were found to suppress the virus, leading to dramatic changes in individuals’ health, quality of life, and life expectancy. This podcast looks at the progress in treatment and drug development from the clinician’s viewpoint.

This podcast series features stories taken from our first book, a collection of essays, reflections, and testimonies also entitled ‘Love, Loss & Life’ which you can buy here.

An audiobook is also available here.

Visit the National HIV Story Trust website

Your feedback means a great deal to us. Please text us your thoughts by clicking on this link.

This podcast series features stories taken from our first book, a collection of essays, reflections, and testimonies also entitled ‘Love, Loss & Life’ which you can buy here.

An audiobook is also available here.

Visit the National HIV Story Trust website

Your feedback means a great deal to us. Please text us your thoughts by clicking on this link.

Andrew Keates grew up in Dorset and realized he was gay at 13. He loves the theater and is now an award-winning director. Some of his productions have been performed in the West End, including 'As Is', 'Dessa Rose', and 'Dark Sublime'. In 2018, he received the 'Young Achiever of the Year Award' for his success in theater and his work raising awareness about HIV and under-represented communities.

Andrew felt let down by the lack of education about HIV and the absence of gay role models when he was young. In 2013, he directed a revival of 'As Is' to honour those lost to the AIDS pandemic and raise awareness about HIV. He made a pact with his cast and crew to get tested for HIV. At the end of the production, he found out he was HIV positive.

This podcast series features stories taken from our first book, a collection of essays, reflections, and testimonies also entitled ‘Love, Loss & Life’ which you can buy here.

An audiobook is also available here.

Visit the National HIV Story Trust website

Your feedback means a great deal to us. Please text us your thoughts by clicking on this link.

This podcast series features stories taken from our first book, a collection of essays, reflections, and testimonies also entitled ‘Love, Loss & Life’ which you can buy here.

An audiobook is also available here.

Visit the National HIV Story Trust website

Your feedback means a great deal to us. Please text us your thoughts by clicking on this link.

Acclaimed actor and national treasure Rupert Everett describes the excitement of his youth when he first encountered the gay scene in London.  Rupert Everett's full story can be found in the NHST archive, but in this story he reveals his deepest fears as he became aware of a stalking "vampire" haunting the gay bars and clubs in the US and UK, and tells how AIDS was a 'time-bomb waiting to explode'.

This podcast series features stories taken from our first book, a collection of essays, reflections, and testimonies also entitled ‘Love, Loss & Life’ which you can buy here.

An audiobook is also available here.

Visit the National HIV Story Trust website

Your feedback means a great deal to us. Please text us your thoughts by clicking on this link.

Blackliners grew out of a realisation that there were no organisations dealing with HIV that catered specifically for the black community, with the result that many HIV+ black people in the UK felt side-lined. Arnold describes the role the charity played in raising awareness and supporting the black community in various ways.

This podcast series features stories taken from our first book, a collection of essays, reflections, and testimonies also entitled ‘Love, Loss & Life’ which you can buy here.

An audiobook is also available here.

Visit the National HIV Story Trust website

Your feedback means a great deal to us. Please text us your thoughts by clicking on this link.

As Minister of Health in the mid-1980s, Lord Fowler found himself at odds with Margaret Thatcher and other members of the Cabinet over how much attention should be paid to the AIDS pandemic. Some neat political manoeuvring enabled him to run a memorable public health campaign which made the nation aware that HIV and AIDS could affect anyone.

This podcast series features stories taken from our first book, a collection of essays, reflections, and testimonies also entitled ‘Love, Loss & Life’ which you can buy here.

An audiobook is also available here.

Visit the National HIV Story Trust website

Your feedback means a great deal to us. Please text us your thoughts by clicking on this link.

Barbara von Barsewisch trained as a nurse in London in the early 1990s and worked on Broderip Ward, the HIV ward at the Middlesex Hospital, for ten years. She went on to work at the Chelsea and Westminster Hospital in the Kobler Day Care Unit, where she developed an expertise in caring for patients with AIDS-related cancers, especially lymphomas. Caring for patients with AIDS in the 1990s was a nursing experience unlike any other. It was a time when the rule book went out of the window and some extraordinary and moving interactions between nursing staff and patients helped to ease the passing of many of the people in Barbara’s care.

This podcast series features stories taken from our first book, a collection of essays, reflections, and testimonies also entitled ‘Love, Loss & Life’ which you can buy here.

An audiobook is also available here.

Visit the National HIV Story Trust website