Watch Florence's story on Yahoo!

Dear friend,

My name is Florence. I'm 35 years old and I live in Johannesburg, South Africa.

Twelve years ago, I gave birth to a daughter, Nomthunzi. This should have been a joyous time in my life, but when my husband died and Nomthunzi fell ill, it became a nightmare. We went to the hospital to be treated, and I discovered my worst fear had come true: my daughter and I were both HIV-positive. At that time there was no treatment for babies like Nomthunzi, and she died when she was just five months old.

I was devastated, but decided to stand up and make a difference. I became an HIV/AIDS advocate, doing everything I could to help others facing the challenges that I faced.

A few years later, I discovered the Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation. It was wonderful to learn that there was an organization to help women like me -- one that also helped save their children.

Florence and Alex

I'm now remarried. Thanks to Foundation services that help prevent the transmission of HIV from mothers to babies, I was able to give birth to an HIV-negative child. My beautiful son Alex is now two years old and healthy.

Today is World AIDS Day -- a day to celebrate our progress in the fight against HIV/AIDS and renew our commitment to defeat this epidemic. Alex and I are living proof of how far we've come. But every day, 1,000 children around the world are infected with HIV and hundreds of mothers experience the agony that I felt when I lost my daughter.

We need your help to create a generation free of HIV, so that no more mothers feel the pain of losing their child to AIDS. Please do your part by supporting the Foundation's lifesaving programs today. Thank you so much.

Sincerely,

Florence Ngobeni


Florence's story, along with other Foundation Stories of Hope, are featured today on Yahoo! as part of a special World AIDS Day campaign. Please take a moment to browse Yahoo's interactive World AIDS Day page, watch a video about Florence, and spread the word to your family and friends!

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