SPFPP 346: Herpes Support is the Foundation Toward a Cure

Lauren and I discuss our advocacy challenges and victories supporting people with herpes. We discussed how there appears to be more value placed by the general public on things that have a cost associated versus people who get the free stuff and take anger out on those of us just volunteering our time to support. We talk about what keeps us going and how we go about doing the work we do in the advocacy space, but they themselves being unwilling to do anything themselves outside telling us what we "should" be doing.

We also talk about the appropriate steps toward a cure from an advocacy and support perspective. We talk through the steps of getting CLOSER to that outcome. We live in a society that values convenience and instant gratification which contributes to our searching for a cure to happen right now, when there needs to be so much internal work done first. The path to a cure for herpes begins with the general acceptance of this virus and stigma itself, so that we can keep you all here now long enough to do the in-between things that need to happen for the work toward a cure to occur.

Learn more about the research being done for a cure at: www.spfpp.org/herpes-cure-research

You can support SPFPP and the continuation of our resources by visiting www.spfpp.org/donate

Lauren's Bio:

Hi I’m Lauren! I was diagnosed with both oral and genital HSV-1 at 19 years old. I have spent my whole adult dating life with both genital and oral herpes! When I was diagnosed back in 2013 there were very little resources or herpes advocates to help navigate dating with herpes so I had to do most of the struggle alone. I never want anyone to feel alone or lost so I spend my free time as a herpes advocate on tiktok (Bubblieinblu)!