Losing a doctor, missing a friend

Posted by Openly Positive in News

Steve Andrews

We were devastated to lose Steve Andrews, our dear friend and a people’s doctor, who passed away suddenly and peacefully in his sleep on 27 June 2009. Derrick Fine delivered a tribute on behalf of Openly Positive at Steve’s memorial service at the University of Cape Town:

“Steve, you were a caring human being first, an HIV pioneer second and a doctor as such only third… As a leader in the HIV field, Steve understood the meaning of treating us holistically as people. He went way beyond the call of duty in helping us get access to ARVs at a time when this was not easy…

He was unique in another sense – unlike most doctors, Steve was an enabler. He gave us the information we needed. But he made us make the tough decisions about going on treatment or changing regimens. Above all, Steve made us feel like a big HIV family, and not like clients or patients.”