Frances Ruth Coker Burks was an extraordinary woman who, in the most feared era of HIV/AIDS, was the only one who helped patients with this terrible virus, while society turned its back on them, stigmatizing these patients with senseless moral prejudices, based on myths and total ignorance of a disease, to which many were afraid to refer and even more, to have an HIV patient nearby.

Ruth Coker Burks, as she was better known, was born on March 19, 1959, in the state of Arkansas. She had a very difficult childhood since her father died when she was 5 years old, she was left with her mother from whom she suffered many psychological mistreatment. Ruth felt rejected and unloved by her mother, this made her identify with the rejection and abandonment suffered by AIDS patients.

In the 1980s, HIV/AIDS was viewed with great fear among people, no one approached those who carried this disease. The first contact Ruth had with an AIDS patient, named Jimmy. No one wanted to take care of the poor sick man, not even the nurses at the hospital. This caught Ruth's attention and she asked them why they were not taking care of him, to which they replied that Jimmy had Gay cancer.

The total ignorance of the virus, its transmission and social stigmatization caused HIV carriers to be abandoned by their relatives and discarded as old clothes. Ruth, seeing the abandonment and rejection to which Jimmy was exposed, made her want to take care of him, until his tragic death. The young man died accompanied by Ruth, he was a charitable soul who was there, when he needed it most, after Jimmy's death, Ruth took care of the burial, although it was very complicated, because even in death those who died from AIDS were stigmatized. She says that no cemetery wanted to accept Jimmy's remains, for fear that the virus would invade the cemetery.

Ruth had inherited a small cemetery from her mother and there she was able to bury Jimmy's ashes, so that he would finally rest in peace. From that moment, Ruth felt that she had a duty, a social duty towards these men who suffered, not only with the weight of the terrible disease, but with the rejection and prejudice of society, even from their own families.

Ruth Coker Burks began to take care of AIDS patients, took care of them, gave them shelter, food and everything they needed until their last days. All the HIV carriers came to Ruth, who had become an angel for these rejected men.

Ruth gave them hope, love and care, this made HIV patients live a little longer after being diagnosed with the terrible virus. The authorities were sending more and more people to her to take care of them and give them a better quality of life, until their last days. Ruth when she saw the large number of people she had decided that she had to seek help, many doors were closed to her, even those of the churches, but this did not discourage Ruth and she continued with her laudable work, despite all the accusations that people made to her.

Soon her work with HIV patients was brought to light. An incredible woman fighting AIDS, without any fear, just with the immense desire to help these poor sick people, who had lost everything, because of their illness. Over time it was discovered that the virus was not peculiar to gays, heterosexual couples were also suffering with this scourge, and Ruth felt a civic duty to make people aware of the importance of using condoms to avoid infection.

In 1990 the investigations of the behavior of the virus, were bearing fruits, and the treatments became more effective, and the patients suffering with this disease were able to lead a long life, reducing the mortality of HIV, but Ruth Coker Burks was the real hero, who faced the virus at a time when everything was fear, stigmatization and homophobia. Where no one wanted to see the problem and misunderstandings were made, where even the governments did not put letters on the matter, Ruth welcomed the infected, gave them her love, her compassion and made them feel accepted.

A great job, which today is recognized as an act of immense dedication, regardless of the danger of a deadly virus and even more so the social stigmatization that Ruth suffered from people, who let themselves be carried away by fear, ignorance and collective paranoia, in an era where being gay was a death sentence, both physically and socially.

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