Ryan Lewis shot to fame for his work with Macklemore, being a DJ and working as a music producer. Now he wants you to know the story that hasn’t been told before in interviews – the story of the ‘strongest woman’ he knows, his mum. She has been battling HIV for over thirty years.
Lewis revealed how his mother Julie Lewis became HIV positive after receiving a blood transfusion in 1984 following the birth of his sister. The transfusion took place a year before screening of bloods for the virus became a common practice in hospital.
Lewis has now launched the 30/30 Project charity drive in honour of his mother, who has outlived her original prognosis:
“If I could just take a few moments of your time, I’d love to tell you about the strongest woman that I know, my mom, Julie Lewis. In 1984, my mom gave birth to my older sister, Teresa. Due to a complicated delivery, she needed a blood transfusion and at that moment, my mom had HIV-positive blood put into her body. When she was finally diagnosed, she was given only a few years to live.”
To honour the 30 years his mum has been a survivor of the virus, Ryan Lewis’ family have decided to create the 30/30 Project to raise funds to build health centres worldwide that will stand strong for at least 30 years.
The first goal for the project will be to raise $100,000 to build a health centre in the Neno District of Malawi, Africa, where one in 10 people are HIV-positive.
Lewis launched the project by posting a Youtube video to his own account.
They say behind every strong man is a stronger woman. We’d say Julie Lewis is really proud.
Video via Ryan Lewis Productions
