On World AIDS Day, December 1, amfAR, The Foundation for AIDS Research released a message from incoming CEO Kyle Clifford who shares his personal journey with HIV and steadfast commitment to finding a cure for AIDS. Clifford reflects on his AIDS diagnosis, how advances in research transformed his life, and why leading amfAR marks a deeply personal mission. You can watch the video above and on YouTube. A full transcript is below:

“I came out at a very young age in Ireland, but I’m very lucky that I got the love and support of my family. The biggest primary concern and fear that any parent would have had for a child who came out at that time period in the early ’90s was that they would die of AIDS.

“I did not know I was HIV positive. So, I was actually told on Christmas Eve of 2012 by our family doctor in my hometown.

“It was unexpected. I wasn’t sick or ill. My first blood count scores indicated that I actually had an AIDS diagnosis. I thought it was a death sentence. And so, I didn’t hear anything else from the doctor’s mouth that day other than thinking that I was potentially going to die.

“I very quickly went on a course of medication to ensure that I didn’t succumb to an opportunist infection, and I’m a very lucky and blessed and fortunate man. I’m, frankly, alive because of organizations like amfAR because of the people who are fighting for treatment.

“I did become, for a period of time around 5 years, obsessed around the concept of a cure, and what came up periodically in my research was this organization amfAR, and that gave hope to individuals like me.

“It gave hope that a cure was possible. amfAR plays this very unique role in being the seed funder of old and innovative research. We are a biomedical research foundation. We’re here to advance scientific discoveries and to basically save lives. I’m the first HIV-positive CEO at amfAR, but I show up for work not only HIV positive, but truly committed, passionate in the fight to try and make AIDS history.

“World AIDS Day is a really important day for a whole host of reasons. It’s a celebration of life. It’s a celebration of the progress that we’ve made. No matter what is happening in this world, we’re going to stay razor focused on finding a cure for HIV.

“To people who are living with HIV or people who want to end the epidemic, amfAR stands with you shoulder-to-shoulder in this fight. We are 100% committed. We will not give up until we make AIDS history.

“Together we can achieve the goal.”

This message was originally posted December 1, 2025, on amfAR.org.