Give A Day for World AIDS

Outrageous and solvable.

That's how Dr. Jane Philpott sees the HIV/AIDS epidemic. Outrageous because of the scores of lives this disease has taken. Solvable through antiretroviral therapy, prevention campaigns, support and testing.

But to actually implement a solution, she needs you to do one thing ─ Give A Day.

More specifically, give today. Dec. 1 marked World AIDS Day ─ the day dedicated to bringing attention to the global AIDS epidemic. To honour this event, Philpott is asking all Canadians to donate one day's income to eradicating the disease.

"At first, when I presented this, I thought, 'here's a wild idea,'" she says. "But really, it's something we can all do."

Since 2004, Philpott has been recruiting people across the country for Give A Day campaigns. With her warm demeanor and kind words indicative of good bedside manner, the family physician has brought law offices and hospitals across the country on board.

But, behind those kind words is a woman who is no stranger to challenge. Philpott spent the better part of the 1990s working in Niger, one of the poorest and least-developed countries in the world. There, she worked a rural hospital treating all who entered her clinic.

That's where she first became outraged.

"Eighty percent of what I saw, it was preventable and treatable and it was not being addressed," she says.

All around her, Philpott saw people dying. She witnessed the lack of sanitation and medical access. All this as HIV/AIDS tightened its grip on the continent.

After nearly a decade, Philpott returned to her home of Stouffville, ON. But the appalling images stayed with her.

"Once you realize the disparities, it's impossible to be the same again," she says.

The doctor began telling her story. Her passion and eloquence made people listen and soon she was invited before a group of doctors at the Markham Stouffville Hospital.

Philpott set out to shock them with statistics. 33 million people worldwide living with HIV ─ 22 million in sub-Saharan Africa. Women account for half of all HIV infections. Without treatment, an infected child will die before their fifth birthday.

The doctors were outraged. So, Philpott presented a challenge. Calculate one day's billings and send them to an organization dedicated to fighting HIV/AIDS.

Within days, 50 doctors handed her $33,000.

That was just step one. The next year, word spread. Hospitals contacted Philpott about running campaigns. Soon, she was coordinating Give A Day events across the country.

Each year, Philpott has been able to raise more funds. But now, she wants to extend the challenge to everyone.

"We just need to think, today is not about me," she says. "This is something that all of us can do within our means and make a difference."

The calculation is simple. Take your yearly income and divide it by 210 (the number of working days in a year).

The numbers are already adding up.

Philpott has more modest goal ─ $1 million. But, she stresses this is just the beginning. She wants to see World AIDS Day recognized more prominently and for people to take a stand against the disease.

She knows her cause is an uphill battle. But, she's confident that others are as outraged, too. And, it won't be long until others catch on.

To quote one her enthusiastic supporters, "If you give a damn, give a day."