Bio

D-REK's Angels & Warriors was founded by Derek Canas, a long-term survivor who contracted HIV as a child through a blood transfusion following surgery for a congenital heart defect. Born with transposition of the great arteries, Derek underwent open-heart surgery as an infant and has lived with a pacemaker since he was a child. Now on his fifth device, he continues to navigate life with both HIV and chronic heart disease.

Over the years, Derek's personal fight evolved into a broader mission. He became a passionate advocate. Not just for himself, but for others living with HIV whose stories are often left out of public awareness and policy conversations. Angels & Warriors was created to spotlight these realities, with a focus on communities that are routinely underrepresented: heterosexual individuals, serodiscordant couples, and long-term survivors.

https://www.angelsandwarriors.org/about