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Beginning in 2006, the Children's Hospital AIDS Program (CHAP) at Children's Hospital Boston has worked with patients' family members, friends and volunteers to create an annual AIDS Memorial Quilt.
The quilt, displayed for the public at Children's every December, was created to honor the lives of many of CHAP's young patients who passed away from the disease.
Our patients
Prior to the discovery of effective HIV medications and recent advances in HIV/AIDS research, the majority of children with AIDS succumbed to the disease.
Unfortunately, many children who were followed in our program were diagnosed before live-saving treatments were discovered. Our records indicate that approximately 80 children from our program have passed away since 1985.
Our quilt
To honor and remember the lives of the children we have lost to the disease, we invite their family members and friends to create panels representing their deceased loved ones. Each panel is unique and heartfelt and reflects the memories they have of the child.
Our quilt project has been modeled after the national AIDS Memorial Quilt that was created in 1987.
History of the AIDS Memorial Quilt
On October 11, 1987, the AIDS Memorial Quilt was officially unveiled on the National Mall in Washington D.C. It covered a space larger than a football field and included 1,920 panels. Half a million people visited the Quilt that weekend.
The AIDS Memorial Quilt is a poignant memorial, a powerful tool for preventing new HIV infections and the largest ongoing community arts project in the world.
More information
The Children's Hospital Boston Quilt will be an ongoing project and will be displayed every December 1, on World AIDS Day.
If you would like to help us with our quilt or learn more about it, please contact us at 617-355-6832.
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