Helena Donker

Helena 's page

Fundraising for Terrence Higgins Trust
£1,970
raised of £1,800 target
Donations cannot currently be made to this page
Event: London Marathon 2019, on 28 April 2019
Terrence Higgins Trust

Verified by JustGiving

RCN 288527
We support people living with HIV to ensure they live healthy lives

Story

Currently 100,000 in the UK are living with HIV, a virus which was once considered a death sentence. The global understanding of HIV/AIDS has come a long way since the AIDs crisis during the 1980’s and 90’s. A crisis which arose from the world seeing a new and unknown virus, which had no cure or pre-existing treatment. Fear sparked the social prejudice and discrimination against those who were living with HIV. Unfortunately, knowledge of the virus today is too often based on the AIDs crisis, rather than the reality of living with HIV during the 21st century.  

Medically, the landscape for HIV treatment has changed
drastically since the 1980’s and 90’s. During this time, people living with HIV were taking almost 30 pills a day to keep their HIV in check. Now, single tablet regimens exist; a small, once-a-day pill which keeps an individual’s viral load at an undetectable level; a level which also considerably reduces the potential transmission from person to person. It is safe to say we have taken a huge step in overcoming the epidemic medically, with around 96% of HIV positive adults in the UK receiving anti-retroviral therapy! Despite this, more work needs to be done socially to target the social stigma surrounding being HIV positive. Extending accurate information and targeting education at niche populations will help work towards eradicating the outdated misconceptions of HIV; and in turn, eliminate the social stigma. Amplifying the voices of those living with HIV in society is just one of the focus areas for Terrence Higgins
Trust and their campaigns.

Luckily enough, for my placement year during my time at University, I secured a placement in one of the worlds very few completely HIV focused pharmaceutical companies – ViiV. Their passion for leaving no
individual with HIV behind was an inspiring and rewarding goal, and I found this was mirrored in that of the goals of Terrence Higgins Trust. Their support programmes for people living with HIV, campaigns for HIV education and sexual health, and their commitment to putting an end to discrimination, I believe, is not only a step, but a giant leap in the right direction for working towards a world free from HIV.

So, help me support this tremendous cause by raising as much
money as possible for Terrence Higgins Trust, and sponsor me in running the London Marathon in April 2019!

Thanks for taking the time to visit my JustGiving page!

Donating through JustGiving is simple, fast and totally secure. Your details are safe with JustGiving - they'll never sell them on or send unwanted emails. Once you donate, they'll send your money directly to the charity. So it's the most efficient way to donate - saving time and cutting costs for the charity.



Thank you xoxo

Share this story

Help Helena Donker

Sharing this page with your friends could help raise up to 3x more in donations

You can also help by sharing this link on

About the charity

Terrence Higgins Trust

Verified by JustGiving

RCN 288527
Our mission at Terrence Higgins Trust is to end new cases of HIV in the UK by 2030; to empower and support people living with HIV to lead healthy lives; and to amplify the voices of those affected by HIV to eradicate stigma and discrimination.

Donation summary

Total raised
£1,970.00
+ £103.25 Gift Aid
Online donations
£1,970.00
Offline donations
£0.00

* Charities pay a small fee for our service. Find out how much it is and what we do for it.