An innovative Philippines public relations company, Globe recently unveiled an incredibly moving PSA (below) focused on fighting stigma. Scenes from Star Wars: Rogue One, are interspersed with footage of two children—one of whom is wearing a Stormtrooper helmet, even in school. Only in the final scenes do we realize what the boy is hiding: he's got a breathing problem and is wearing an oxygen mask. It's part of a larger campaign, #CreateCourage, calling on each of us ordinary people to be heroes in our own way. (Starting with fighting stigma, sounds like a good place to start!) The PSA is a fundraiser for the Philippines General Hospital Pediatric Clinic. (You can also get in on the action by donating, or downloading a Stormtrooper helmet to paste on your Facebook photo.)
The video's focus on those with breathing problems cuts close to home, as people living with HIV have higher rates of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, one of the diseases HIV-positive are experiencing more as they age. A recent study suggests new pathways for treating such breathing difficulties among those who are poz. According to Infectious Disease Advisor, rosuvastatin (Crestor), a statin usually used to treat high cholesterol improves symptoms in HIV-positive people with abnormal lung function.
