The Grammy-winning artist reveals that his mother contracted the virus following an emergency blood transfusion in 1984.
- Apr 23, 2014
AceShowbiz - Ryan Lewis, a part of Grammy-winning duo Macklemore & Ryan Lewis, has shared a personal story of his mother's battle with HIV. On Tuesday, April 22, the producer took to Twitter to share a photo of him and his mother Julie Lewis. The post features a link to a non-profit organization called "30/30 Project" which he created.
"A huge part of what's made me who I am, is something I haven't talked about in interviews. If I could just take a few moments of your time, I'd love to tell you about the strongest woman that I know, my mom, Julie Lewis," he wrote. Lewis' mother contracted the virus in 1984 following an emergency blood transfusion when she gave birth to the star's older sister Teresa.
Julie only found out about the disease in 1990 after she gave birth to Ryan and his sister Laura. The two fortunately are not infected. Back then, doctors predicted that she only had a few years to live, but she continues living despite the condition.
The "30/30 Project" is created by Lewis' family and Macklemore to honor 30 years of surviving the disease. The non-profit project collaborates with others to build healthcare facilities in many parts of the world. The project is currently focusing on collecting $100,000 to build a health center in Neno District, Malawi.
My friends and family, I am pleased to share with you #The3030Project https://t.co/ZIzz3nYagO pic.twitter.com/87sOQnYBm3
— Ryan Lewis (@RyanLewis) April 22, 2014
