[Viva] Fwd: Bill C-393 - Marc Garneau

[Denise Becker]

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Denise Becker <dbecker106 at gmail.com>
Date: Fri, Oct 29, 2010 at 12:45 PM
Subject: Bill C-393 - Marc Garneau
To: Ignatieff.M at parl.gc.ca


Dear Mr. Ignatieff:

A year ago I sat and watched an interview of you on CBC.  I was at my
cousin's house in Calgary and up to that point, I have to admit, I didn't
know an awful lot about you.  But then you didn't know about me either, so I
guess we are even!  I watched you reply to the interviewers questions and my
cousin and I agreed you were a very reasonable and educated man and we were
VERY impressed with the interview.  That moment was very powerful and I hope
what you are about to read will be just as powerful for you.

I am a 52 year old woman and when I was 35 my husband and I had shocking
news.  Our six-month old daughter was sick and the doctors tested her for
many illnesses and finally they found out she had AIDS.  I cannot tell you
how devastating that news was to me.  I was reeling from it.  My husband and
I had to immediately go to the B.C. Children's Hospital to meet with doctors
and get tested ourselves.  The tests came back that I was infected and my
husband was not and I finally discovered I had been infected in a
relationship prior to meeting my husband, when I was just 29.

There was no medication in those days except for AZT and it did her no good
because she was just too sick.  She died at nine months of age.  As you can
imagine watching her die, looking like a child from Africa and not having
any medication to assist her made me totally desperate.  I have been told
that is she had been born just two years later, in 1996, when the
medications became available she would have most certainly had a different
outcome.  I intend to tell this whole story in my upcoming book.

Today, I am trying to understand why it is that when we have life-saving
medication, that we are not doing more to help those dying in Africa.  It is
my understanding that Bill C-393 and CAMR will change this.  To my UTTER
DISMAY, I understand that Marc Garneau is trying to stall this from
happening and why?  So that pharmaceutical companies can make gazillions
more dollars!!!  I get it, I understand patents, I understand what the
medications have done for me and I understand that the pharmaceutical have
been working on the medications to make them better... but they need people
to test on and that is people with HIV like me.  If I were a woman in Africa
with a sick child, would you honestly be able to go back to being a reporter
and explain this to me?  I hope not because I would just laugh at your
audacity.

I am asking you, as leader of the Liberal party to come forward and make
your mark by getting behind this Bill with your heart and your head.  You
were a reporter, you have seen many things, including people dying... now is
not the time for closing your eyes, now is the time for rallying your party
behind a life-saving cause.  PLEASE DO WHAT IS RIGHT.

Denise Becker
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