Published Promise 2026
When Denise Wozniak's nine-month-old daughter Katie passed away in 1994, friends and family believed that the baby had died from pneumonia. This was the truth, but not all of it: both mother and daughter had recently been diagnosed with HIV. Denise was infected years back, but she had no idea she was HIV positive until Katie got sick.
According to her doctor, she could expect to live a maximum of five more years. "So basically, I was on my way out," she says.
The diagnosis was a shock, and so was her then-doctor's advice: "Be very careful who you tell."
Because of the rampant negative stigma associated with the infection, Denise was encouraged to keep her HIV a secret even after her daughter passed.
To learn as much as she could about her illness, Denise began attending HIV/AIDS conferences, and that was where she was first introduced to Dr. Montaner.
A turning point for HIV care
Dr. Julio Montaner, executive director and physician-in-chief at the BC Centre for Excellence in HIV/AIDS and the head of HIV/AIDS at St. Paul's Hospital, knows the stigma well. The physician led the team of doctors that developed highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART), the treatment that revolutionized care for HIV/AIDS patients.
In the '80s and '90s, Vancouver's West End neighbourhood, home to a vibrant 2SLGBTQIA+ community and St. Paul's Hospital, became the epicentre of HIV/AIDS in Canada. "The sad truth is that St. Paul's Hospital didn't become the natural reference hospital for HIV/AIDS in BC because we planned it that way," says Dr. Montaner. "The epidemic exploded in our backyard."
The physician was doing his fellowship at St. Paul's Hospital when cases of severe respiratory distress started increasing rapidly in the mid-'80s.
Patients were dying of pneumocystis pneumonia (PCP), a fungal infection in the lungs. It was soon understood that HIV/AIDS was the reason for this fatal infection; PCP preyed on the weakened immune systems of patients.
Dr. Montaner, working in a hospital at the centre of the epidemic, found himself conducting research that would change the world. It was under his leadership that HAART was discovered and made widely available in 1996.
"To be perfectly candid, it was like the beginning of a new era. Overnight, people stopped dying from PCP. They went on to recover even if they were severely affected in the ICU."
Dr. Julio Montaner, executive director and physician-in-chief at the BC Centre for Excellence in HIV/AIDS and the head of HIV/AIDS at St. Paul's Hospital
How one breakthrough changed a life
Dr. Montaner's optimistic and stigma-free HIV research was a refreshing change.
"I thought, okay, there's hope," Denise says. "He's doing trials…I need to be with this doctor." Once on board with Dr. Montaner and St. Paul's Hospital, Denise received not only life-saving treatment for her HIV, but also critical care for her hearing loss and psychiatric support for complex PTSD. "Dr. Montaner connected me with other areas at St. Paul's Hospital, and I really needed that help."
It's been over 30 years since Denise was told she might have five years to live, and she attributes this to the work that Dr. Montaner and his team did to support both her physical and mental health.
"I honestly don't know if I'd be here if it wasn't for Dr. Montaner," she says.
Denise has far outgrown the "be careful who you tell" mandate of her first doctor: she is the founder of Hummingbird Kids Society, an organization that supported families and kids with HIV/AIDS.
She's also remarried and lives happily with her HIV-negative husband, a milestone that she stresses may not have happened without all the work that has been done to fight the stigma against HIV/AIDs.
The fight isn't over
Unfortunately, 2025 marked a significant setback in the worldwide eradication of HIV/AIDS.
"The American administration decided to dismantle all of the domestic and international programs that were responsible for supporting [HIV/AIDS research]," says Dr. Montaner.
Many G7 countries (including Canada) have followed suit and decreased their financial dedication to HIV/AIDS, leading to devastating consequences: the number of people living with HIV is rising again, approaching levels not seen since the height of the crisis in the '80s and '90s.
"We are failing to serve the people who need the services in their communities at the earliest possible time," says Dr. Montaner, who worries that another HIV/AIDS crisis is unfolding while the world is distracted with other priorities.
The doctor says the battle isn't over, and financial support is essential to delivering care quickly to those who need it.
"We need the public to demand action from our political leaders, and we need it urgently."
