Legacy Chest Archive Preserves HIV Survivor Stories
An online archive of more than 30 testimonies from long-term HIV survivors has launched, drawing on over 220 minutes of lived experience.
Updated on Nov. 4, 2026 in LGBTQ+
The European AIDS Treatment Group has launched the Legacy Chest, an online archive of personal testimonies from long-term and lifetime HIV survivors who lived through the HIV/AIDS pandemic. The archive contains more than 30 stories totaling over 220 minutes.
Why it matters
The archive preserves firsthand accounts from people who lived through the early decades of the HIV/AIDS pandemic. Recording these experiences in a publicly accessible format gives future generations direct access to a history that is often told secondhand.
The archive holds more than 30 stories totaling over 220 minutes of lived experience. Contributors are long-term and lifetime survivors of HIV, and the archive is part of the Long-Term Survivors of HIV project.
The players
European AIDS Treatment Group (EATG)
The European AIDS Treatment Group is a European organisation focused on HIV treatment, advocacy and community engagement, and it leads the Long-Term Survivors of HIV project.
Ribbon - A Center of Excellence
Ribbon is a US-based center of excellence that works on HIV care and survivorship, and it is a partner in the Long-Term Survivors of HIV project.
The Reunion Project
The Reunion Project is a US-based initiative that supports HIV long-term survivors, and it partners on the Long-Term Survivors of HIV project.
Realize
Realize is a Canadian organisation that works on HIV survivorship, and it is a partner in the Long-Term Survivors of HIV project.
The details
The Legacy Chest is an online archive that brings together personal testimonies from people who lived through the HIV/AIDS pandemic. It is part of the Long-Term Survivors of HIV - Honouring the Past, Shaping the Future project, which was made possible through grants from Gilead Sciences, ViiV Healthcare and Merck, Sharp & Dohme.
Timeline
The Legacy Chest archive went live online on 4 November 2026.
Health Landscape
The Legacy Chest is part of the Long-Term Survivors of HIV - Honouring the Past, Shaping the Future project, which focuses on people who have lived with HIV for decades. Its archive documents the lived experience of this group as the HIV/AIDS pandemic moves into its fifth decade.
The archive is available online, so readers anywhere can access the testimonies without cost or registration requirements stated in the source. The stories can be read or viewed directly through the Legacy Chest website.
The takeaway
Personal accounts from long-term HIV survivors offer a firsthand record of a pandemic that shaped medicine, policy and community life. Readers can explore these testimonies to better understand the lived experience behind the history of HIV.
Further reading
Explore more LGBTQ+ coverage on Wisevoter for context on the community this archive honours.
More information
Visit the Legacy Chest HIV survivor stories archive to read the testimonies directly.
