Mary Fisher

Biography

By the time she gave her landmark speech at the 1992 Republican National Convention, Mary Fisher had already been successful by the world's usual standards of wealth, fame and connections. Fisher had been a television producer, an artist and the first advanceman for President Ford. But those achievements were not what qualified her to speak at the podium that August evening in Houston. It was the tiny virus that infected her--the AIDS virus--that allowed her to "lift the shroud of silence" that surrounded the disease. Mary was the new face of AIDS. After the convention, Fisher founded the non-profit Family AIDS Network, Inc. to continue her campaign for awareness and compassion in the battle against HIV/AIDS. She makes dozens of community visits each year, giving speeches and visiting others in the AIDS family. Through the Network, she also established the National Caregiver Recognition Award program to honor and inspire those who care for people with AIDS. New Network initiatives focus on prevention and care for women, people of color and communities of poverty.

Publications

Sleep With The Angels presents Fisher's strategy for dealing with the AIDS epidemic: strong leadership in fighting ignorance and fear, and a public-private partnership to fund a cure. A mother of two healthy young children, she talks about the importance of family support for people with HIV/AIDS, and the future that children today face in a world where 12 to 14 million people have already contracted the disease. Mary Fisher's assessment of this country's moral response to AIDS is particularly striking; "We have killed each other with our ignorance, our prejudice, and our silence. We may take refuge in stereotypes, but we cannot hide there long. Because HIV asks only one thing of those it attacks: 'Are you human?' And this is the right question: 'Are you human?'" With Fisher's voice and passion coming through on every page, this is a moving and powerful book that delivers a much-needed message about the AIDS epidemic and what people can do to help. "We have no assurance about the length of our lives and we can do amazingly little to insure it....In the face of stigma and hopelessness, daunting challenges and desperate need, it is my prayer that we will, each one of us, wake to a day with courage. It would be a remarkably good morning if we began not by wondering what others have done about AIDS, but by asking "What can I do?" Mary has also authored: I'll Not Go Quietly Angels In Our Midst My Name is Mary

Titles

My Name is Mary I'll Not Go Quietly