Bruce Brockway in 1981, the year he began to notice his AIDS symptoms.

In June 2021, the world marked 40 years since the first five cases of AIDS were reported.

Here, in Minnesota, it began with Bruce Brockway, the first documented Minnesotan to receive the dreaded AIDS diagnosis. Bruce was diagnosed in June 1982 and died in 1984 from complications of the disease — but not before co-founding the Minnesota AIDS Project, now part of Rainbow Health, in 1983.

As we look forward to that 40-year anniversary for our organization, it comes with both deep sorrow and optimistic hope. What was once a very marginalized, stigmatized disease that almost certainly resulted in a death sentence is now something that millions of people are able to live with every day. As an organization, we have made great strides not only for our clients living with HIV but for the broader LGBTQ+ community.

It is only fitting that we take this opportunity to reflect on our past and our current. I hope you will take the time to read the stories from our clients, Martin and Jacqueline. These stories represent the evolution of this organization. As different as their stories are, they share a common thread: Rainbow Health.

Forty years is a long time. My hope is you will join me in reflection on what Rainbow Health has meant to the community over all these years and for so many individuals who have turned to us during their most trying times.

Thank you for supporting them on their journey. We cannot do what we do without the support of our community committed to our mission.

Jeremy Hanson Willis

Chief Executive Officer
Rainbow Health