Martha’s Message: Get Tested, Support Planned Giving

“Anger may be too strong a word, but I’ll use it for now—my anger at the thought that no one had ever tested either my husband [Aubrey] or me, and that all of this could have been so easily prevented,” Martha Warriner Jarrett explained when asked why she went public with her HIV status and became an advocate.

Martha is determined to inspire others to get tested, even if they don’t fit into a high-risk category—older, straight, female, married, monogamous, in her case. And, in the absence of a cure for HIV, she is determined to inspire others to raise funds for AIDS research.

HIV was not on anyone’s radar when, in November 2009, Aubrey entered the hospital with double pneumonia. Though doctors did everything they could to save him, Martha made the tough decision to take him off life support. Now it seems likely that Aubrey’s pneumonia was AIDS-related.

Six years later and a month before her seventieth birthday, Martha learned she was HIV-positive during an emergency hospital stay she can barely remember. Rushed to the hospital by her new husband, Ronald, she spent four days on a ventilator to reverse her acute respiratory failure and then a few more days in intensive care. Eventually she moved to a rehab facility.

She had been experiencing physical pain and her doctor at the time diagnosed her with fibromyalgia. Then, one day, a headache that would not go away prompted her new husband, Ronald, to bring her into urgent care. The on-duty physician became concerned about her critically high blood pressure and rushed her to the ER in an ambulance.

By the time Ronald made it to the hospital, Martha had been intubated. She went on to spend four days on a ventilator to reverse her acute respiratory failure and then a few more days in intensive care. Eventually she moved to a rehab facility.

“[There] I became conscious enough to know that I had tested positive for HIV,” she said.

It would be months of painstaking physical recovery before she got back on her feet, but she also needed time to move past her shock and anger. “I did a lot of crying,” she said.

Later, Martha came to the painful realization that Aubrey had inadvertently exposed her to the virus and that his death might have been prevented had he known his HIV status earlier.

When her physical and emotional health rebounded, Martha began to tell her story—working with the Kern County Health Department in Bakersfield, California, speaking at a National HIV Testing Day event, blogging for POZ, the magazine for people living with HIV, and talking to local media.

“I bought myself a T-shirt that said ‘I’m HIV-positive, but at least I know where I stand. Do you? Get tested,’” she shared. “That’s been my main focus over the years—get people tested.”

Thankfully, Martha’s health has stabilized and with a once-daily pill, she has achieved an undetectable viral load and a near-normal CD4 T cell count.

Beyond her advocacy work, Martha has set her sights on fundraising.

Initially, Martha set a goal of raising $1 million for AIDS research. A longtime friend, Paula Van Ness, who has been active in AIDS service delivery and fundraising, suggested that Martha include amfAR in her estate planning, which made her goal seem possible.

This year, Martha joined amfAR’s Legacy Circle, a select group of generous, far-sighted people who have included donations to amfAR in their will or other estate plans. To support HIV cure research in the years to come, Martha has willed half of her IRA to amfAR, and she hopes others will consider doing the same: “It doesn’t have to come out of pocket right now. It doesn’t matter if you’re not wealthy, particularly if your kids are grown or you have no kids—it’s just a really easy way to contribute.”

Why did she choose amfAR? “amfAR is the future. It is the one organization that is focused entirely on finding a cure.”

August is Make a Will Month. Click here to find out more about joining the amfAR Legacy Circle.

Questions about planned giving? Please contact us at plannedgiving@amfar.org.

You should always consult with your financial advisor and/or tax professional before initiating a charitable gift arrangement. The information provided on this page should not be construed as tax or financial advice.

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