When AIDS Was an Unknown

NPR

Published December 2, 2005 at 12:00 AM EST

In honor of World AIDS Day, we present the story of how the disease affected one family -- at a time when AIDS was still entering America's consciousness.

In 1985, Tom Ward died of AIDS, at the age of 40. Recently, his older sister, Mary Caplan, went to a StoryCorps booth in New York City to remember him.

Speaking with her friend Emily Collazo, Caplan recalled the mood of the time, the way people spoke about AIDS -- and how her life changed after she brought Ward home from the hospital for the last time.

StoryCorps mobile booths are currently in Las Vegas and Gulfport, Miss. A copy of the interviews will also be archived at the Library of Congress.

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SOMOS CONNECTICUT is an initiative from Connecticut Public, the state’s local NPR and PBS station, to elevate Latino stories and expand programming that uplifts and informs our Latino communities. Visit CTPublic.org/latino for more stories and resources. For updates, sign up for the SOMOS CONNECTICUT newsletter at ctpublic.org/newsletters.

SOMOS CONNECTICUT es una iniciativa de Connecticut Public, la emisora local de NPR y PBS del estado, que busca elevar nuestras historias latinas y expandir programación que alza y informa nuestras comunidades latinas locales. Visita CTPublic.org/latino para más reportajes y recursos. Para noticias, suscríbase a nuestro boletín informativo en ctpublic.org/newsletters.

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