The Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation was born from the most powerful force of all: a mother's love for her children.
From Heartbreak to Hope
In 1981, while giving birth to her daughter Ariel, Elizabeth Glaser received a life-saving blood transfusion that unknowingly carried HIV. Years later, she and her husband, Paul, discovered the unimaginable: Elizabeth had passed the virus to Ariel through breast milk, and their son, Jake, had contracted it in utero.
As they searched for treatment for Ariel, the Glasers were met with a devastating reality—children were invisible in the HIV epidemic. The only medicines available were for adults. Nothing existed for children like Ariel and Jake.
In 1988, Ariel lost her battle with AIDS. Stricken with grief but unwilling to accept a world where children were left behind, Elizabeth turned her heartbreak into action. She called on her closest friends, Susie Zeegen and Susan DeLaurentis, to help her create a foundation that would give children a fighting chance.
Joined by Lloyd Zeiderman and Peter Benzian, they founded the Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation—a movement that would forever change how the world responds to HIV in children and families.
The Pediatric AIDS Foundation had one critical mission: to bring hope to children with HIV and AIDS.
From a Mother’s Fight to a Global Movement
Elizabeth made her first trip to Washington in 1988, when she met with President and Mrs. Reagan, representatives at NIH, and members of Congress. In 1989, the Foundation held its first fundraiser and awarded its first grant for research on the immune dysfunctions in children living with HIV. Dozens more Washington trips and research grants followed.
Elizabeth lost her own battle with AIDS in 1994, and to honor her legacy, the Pediatric AIDS Foundation was renamed the Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation (EGPAF). Under this name, EGPAF has become the leading global nonprofit organization dedicated to preventing pediatric HIV infection and eliminating pediatric AIDS through research, advocacy, and prevention and treatment programs. Elizabeth’s legacy lives on in her son, Jake, who is now a healthy adult.
Learn more about Elizabeth Glaser
Watch Elizabeth’s Powerful Speech at the 1992 Democratic National Convention:
Ariel’s Legacy
About our logo
In 1988, Ariel Glaser painted how she envisioned the world — as a beautiful garden kept bright with sunshine and surrounded by love. Her inspiration serves as the EGPAF logo, representing hope for children everywhere.