Stronger
Together

The Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation was born from the most powerful force of all: a mother’s love for her children. Elizabeth Glaser contracted HIV in a blood transfusion in 1981 while giving birth to her daughter, Ariel. She and her husband, Paul, later learned that Elizabeth had unknowingly passed the virus on to Ariel through breast milk and that their son, Jake, had contracted the virus in utero.

Ariel. the Glasers discovered, in the course of trying to treat her, that drug companies and health agencies had no idea that HIV was prevalent among children. The only drugs on the market were for adults; nothing had been tested or approved for children. Ariel lost her battle with AIDS in 1988. Fearing that Jake’s life was also in danger, Elizabeth rose to action. She approached her close friends, Susie Zeegen and Susan DeLaurentis, for help in creating a foundation that would raise money for pediatric HIV/AIDS research. Elizabeth, Susan and Susie together with fellow founding board members Lloyd Zeiderman and Peter Benzian, began an organization that would change the course of history for families impacted by HIV around the world. Today, EGPAF is a global leader prioritizing and supporting children and families to achieve an AIDS-free generation.