Walk for H: Chicago (7/22)

Chicago Walk for H

ProjectAccept Walk for H – July 22, 2012 – Chicago, IL

ProjectAccept.org is proud to present the Walk for H campaign, whose mission will be to raise public awareness of human herpesviruses and papillomaviruses and increase acceptance of the STD community, particularly HSV and HPV.

The inaugural Walk for H will occur in conjunction with the Rock ‘N Roll Half-Marathon in Chicago, IL on July 22nd, 2012.  Walk for H will have additional events throughout the weekend (expo, dinner, cocktail reception).

Increasing awareness and acceptance is critical to combatting STDs; the greatest battle may not be in the laboratories, but in the public mind itself.

You may not know it, but you or someone you love is living with HSV (herpes simplex virus) or HPV (human papillomavirus).  

In the United States:

• 65%-90% of adults have Herpes Simplex(Type 1 or 2)
• Over 50% of adults will acquire HPV at some point in their lives

80% people have these conditions and don’t know it.  Others do know it and are afraid to tell their family and friends, for fear of being rejected or stigmatized.

HSV(Herpes) and HPV shouldn’t be a secret.  Anyone can get one of these conditions. As stated by Joann Purkey, a pioneer for herpes awareness, “I’ve had herpes for 12 years.  I got it from someone I was in love with.  I didn’t do anything wrong.  That is part of the stigma we need to change because people who have genital herpes have nothing to be ashamed of.  It is a medical condition.  Herpes does not discriminate…. Judges, lawyers, doctors, moms, dads, teens – people from all walks of life have this condition.” 

Reducing the transmission of HSV and HPV is important.  Equally important is ensuring that the many members of our communities who live with these conditions are not unnecessarily isolated or stigmatized.

In order to take HSV and HPV out of the shadows, supporters of awareness will join together to “Walk for H” at the July 22, 2012 Rock ‘N Roll marathon.

The goal of this year’s “Walk for H” is to cast light on these conditions, put a face on HSV and HPV, and to distribute accurate information.

Although usually benign and often asymptomatic medical conditions, people with the HSV and HPV virus are often afraid to tell their family and friends due to inaccurate perceptions.  These issues need to be addressed by open discussion, awareness and support.

People living with HSV and HPV — as well as people without HSV and HPV — all benefit when those affected feel free to share their experience with family, friends, and partners.  Knowledge is the most important tool in curbing the incidence of HSV and HPV.  Project Accept, through the Walk for H, will share knowledge of what it means to live with HSV and HPV, will distribute accurate medical information, and assist people in finding social and support resources that can enhance the lives of those who live with these conditions.

Additional donations to ProjectAccept.org are being accepted to defray administration costs associated with the “Walk for H” and to fund future expansion of ProjectAccept and the Walk for H campaign.

Help yourself, your friends, your brothers, sisters, and children by doing something to acknowledge this common condition, to educate the public, and to eradicate the stigma.

Join us in the first ever “Walk for H”.  

Please bear in mind that your attending this event and supporting this cause in no way implies that you yourself have an STD.  The vast majority of the people who ride for AIDS, walk for breast cancer and support every other cause under the sun aren’t afflicted themselves, but they may perhaps know someone who is.  Do not set roadblocks in your mind that don’t exist.  Everyone  – the infected and the uninfected – should have a great, vested personal and social interest in seeing chronic STDs eradicated.

To view full event details and register, click here.

¹ http://www.webmd.com/genital-herpes/guide/genital-herpes-basics

² http://www.webmd.com/genital-herpes/guide/genital-herpes-basics

³ January 29, 2012 WOMC radio interview (with Alisa Z, the Sunday Edition)