Joint Statement from Ribbon – A Center of Excellence and The Reunion Project
November 6, 2026
North American Partners Celebrate the Launch of the HIV Long-Term Survivors Legacy Chest
Ribbon – A Center of Excellence and The Reunion Project join our colleagues at the European AIDS Treatment Group (EATG) and Realize in Canada in celebrating the November 4 launch of the Legacy Chest, an international collection of personal stories from long-term and lifetime survivors of HIV.
The Legacy Chest is part of the Long-Term Survivors of HIV – Honouring the Past, Shaping the Future project, led by EATG in partnership with our three organizations. The collection includes more than 30 recorded stories, totaling over 220 minutes, from people whose experiences span decades of the HIV epidemic.
For those of us who gathered at the Long-Term Survivors Summit in Spain in March 2026, the launch represents an important step in work that began with a shared concern: too much of the history of HIV is being lost, particularly the personal experiences of those who lived through the earliest years of the epidemic and those who have grown up living with HIV.
These are the people who organized, advocated, cared for one another, challenged healthcare systems, and helped change the course of the epidemic. Many continue that work today while navigating the realities of growing older with HIV. Their experiences deserve to be documented in their own words and made available to those who will carry this work forward.
For Ribbon and The Reunion Project, preserving these stories is closely connected to our ongoing work with long-term survivors across the United States. We see firsthand how the needs of this community continue to change and how important it is for survivors to remain involved in decisions affecting their lives.
Perspectives on Living and Aging with HIV
“I matter, and I am more than enough, and it is not enough to survive. I need to survive well. For me, that means having the opportunity to grow older with dignity, purpose, good health, and a quality of life that reflects more than the number of years I have lived. The Legacy Chest gives us a place to share what we have experienced, what we have learned, and what we want the next generation to understand. We have contributed so much to the history of HIV, and we still have much to contribute to its future.”
Dr. Linda H Scruggs
Co-Executive Director, Ribbon – A Center of Excellence
“The needs of long-term survivors are complex. They go beyond the physical, the biomedical. We need care that supports the whole person: our mental health, our spirits, our sense of purpose, our quality of life. How do we take care of ourselves and each other as we age with HIV? We take care of ourselves together, over coffee, in nature, in conversation, in movement, in advocacy, because the truth is we were never meant to do this alone. The Legacy Chest is another way for us to connect, to learn from one another, and to make sure these experiences are not lost.”
Jeff Berry
Executive Director, The Reunion Project
Continuing the Work in North America
The November launch is an important milestone, but the collection will continue to grow.
In early 2027, Ribbon – A Center of Excellence and The Reunion Project plan to work with Realize in Canada to convene Legacy Chest Ambassadors from across North America. We want to bring together the people who helped launch this effort, strengthen our connections across the United States and Canada, and begin planning the next round of survivor stories.
We also want to reach people whose experiences have not always been included in the broader history of HIV. Long-term and lifetime survivors represent different generations, communities, backgrounds, and experiences. Some have been visible advocates for decades. Others have lived much of their lives with HIV outside the public eye. All have something important to contribute.
As this work continues, we hope the Legacy Chest will serve not only as a historical record but also as a resource for people working to improve the lives of those aging with HIV. These firsthand accounts can help healthcare providers, researchers, policymakers, advocates, and community organizations better understand what survivors have experienced and what they need today.
We appreciate EATG’s leadership in bringing this project together and the collaboration of Realize in Canada. Most of all, we thank the individuals who agreed to share their experiences. Telling these stories is not always easy, and we recognize the trust involved in making them public.
We encourage our colleagues, community partners, and fellow survivors to spend time with the Legacy Chest, share the collection with others, and consider how these experiences can inform the work ahead.
We look forward to continuing this partnership and making room for more voices in 2027.
Dr. Linda H Scruggs
Co-Executive Director
Ribbon – A Center of Excellence
United States
Jeff Berry
Executive Director
The Reunion Project
United States
Explore the Legacy Chest
View the Legacy Chest collection:
https://www.eatg.org/hivlts-legacy-chest/
Watch the survivor stories:
https://www.youtube.com/@LongTermSurvivorsHIV
Learn more about the international project:
https://www.eatg.org/projects/long-term-survivors-of-hiv
