Every life lost aboard MH17 was a huge blow to humanity. Here, we remember one of the great names in the race to prevent and cure AIDS, Dr. Joep Lange.
I didn’t know Dr. Joep Lange, or his partner Jacqueline Van Tongeren, who was a board member of ArtAids, both of whom were killed when their plane was apparently shot out of the air at 33,000 feet over the separatist area of Ukraine yesterday.
And Mr. Lange wasn’t more special than anybody on board. Not more special than the other 188 Dutch, 44 Malaysians, 27 Australians, 12 Indonesians, 9 Britons, 4 Germans, 4 Belgians, 3 Filipinos, 1 Canadian, and 1 person from New Zealand who lost their lives. Not more special than the three infants they didn’t even initially realize were traveling aboard the Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur flight.
But he is a face, with a rich online history. And he was a man who did so much good for the world, more good than most of the rest of us will ever do in our lives. And while every human life on that plane deserves to be remembered, I’m going to try to cobble together what I can about this one man so that we never forget just one tiny piece of what was lost yesterday, among his 108 AIDS research colleagues on that fight, all headed to a conference in Australia.
From Jezebel:
According to the Telegraph, delegates already gathered in Melbourne for pre-conference meetings were informed of the deaths of 108 of their colleagues after the plane was downed by a surface-to-air missile yesterday. Among the dead are World Health Organization advisor Glenn Thomas, as well as research giant and lauded humanitarian Dr. Joep Lange and his wife, Jacqueline van Tongeren, who has been researching AIDS for three decades. Dr. Lange has written more than 350 papers and spent his career fighting for access to low-cost AIDS treatment in Africa.
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According to Wikipedia, Dr. Lange PharmAccess Foundation in 2001, an organization that, according to their website is “dedicated to affordable access to quality health care in Africa, by stimulating investments through partnerships with the private sector and government institutions. This group of non-profit organizations has a shared goal, working towards achieving inclusive health care for Africa.”
Their site now has a welcome message including the following from Onno Schellekens, managing director of PharmAccess:
“Joep Lange was founder of PharmAccess, chairman of the supervisory board and inspirator to all of us. This is a massive loss. We are devastated. Joep’s dedication to the treatment of HIV/Aids and global health in general has been groundbreaking. With the support of many public and private organizations, most notably the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs, he has played an invaluable role in the international global health community.”
Jacqueline and Joep’s dedication to their work in the field of HIV/Aids and health in general, have saved countless lives and inspired many people working towards quality healthcare for all.
It’s impossible to truly fathom the loss of a single life, let alone the lives of a couple who were so profoundly dedicated to serving others and improving their lives. Each life and each loss reaches out, and like sound waves ripples across the lives of many, but Dr. Lange’s and his colleagues’ lives touched millions. Not to mention the lives of his five daughters.
TheConversation.com quotes David Cooper, a colleague and friend of Dr. Lange explained:
“Another outstanding area of [Lange’s] contribution has been his pioneering role in exploring affordable and simple antiretroviral drug regimens for the prevention of mother-to-child transmission of HIV in resource-poor settings,” Professor Cooper said.
“Both of these have been part of his dedication to increasing access to effective HIV treatment.
“The joy in collaborating with Joep was that he would always bring a fresh view, a unique take on things, and he never accepted that something was impossible to achieve.”
What a HUGE loss to the world. Just learned that dear friend, amazing father to 5 girls and veteran AIDS researcher Joep Lange was on #MH17
— Dr. Seema Yasmin (@DoctorYasmin) July 17, 2014
I asked him why he worked so much. He said “Do you know how much it costs to buy shoes for 5 girls?” He was a kind man &a true humanitarian.
— Dr. Seema Yasmin (@DoctorYasmin) July 17, 2014
Thoughts and prayers for every loved one of those who lost their lives, and may we continue to find ways to treat, prevent and eventually cure HIV/AIDS in their memory.
Onze gedachten en gebeden gaan uit naar de familie en naasten van Dr. Joep Lange en zijn vrouw Jacqueline, evenals aan allen, die een geliefde hebben verloren op vlucht MH17. Moge we hun werk in hun herinnering voortzetten.
Joep Lange, a great friend and mentor, truly a giant in HIV/AIDS patient care and research. Really painful and devastating loss.
To think that such a wonderful person and 297 others have been murdered by Putin and his cronies
What has become of the world
My deepest sympathy to all the families
My they find peace
Barry
RIP
It’s been a long road since the AIDS hysteria of the early 80s and the pioneer efforts of Dr. Gallo and other researchers….