Joanna Wardley, founder of Heart of Richmond AIDS Society, has passed away at the age of 80.
Wardley’s experience of caring for her son Steve, who died from AIDS in 1991, led her to vow she "would do something about AIDS when she retired."
True to her word, Wardley retired early and went on to found Heart of Richmond in 1997, which supports those living with HIV/AIDS.
She and her husband, Brian Wardley, were also instrumental in establishing the Gilwest Clinic at Richmond Hospital that provides testing, treatment and counselling for HIV/AIDS and hepatitis C. When it opened in 1999, it meant patients who may have been in poor health no longer had to travel to Vancouver.
In an interview with the Richmond News in 1997, she said, “Thank heavens for family and friends because there were absolutely no services in Richmond at that time.
“There were times when I wanted so badly to reach out to someone to share my grief with, but was so afraid of being rejected or of a lack of understanding that I couldn’t do it.”
Wardley was afraid people would react negatively because her son was gay and dying of AIDS.
AIDS is a syndrome caused by the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) which targets the body’s immune system. AIDS compromises patients’ cellular defences against pathogens, leaving them vulnerable to infections. With modern treatment, most HIV-positive people will not progress to full-blown AIDS.
That was not the case in the early 1990s, though. Brian, Joanna’s husband, told the News Friday that some doctors and dentists refused to see Steve and that some people were afraid of catching the virus by being in the same room him.
At the time her son was ill, Joanna felt there was no one she could talk so, she told the News in 1997.
That’s why the couple formed a group to share information, support each other and liaise with health agencies in Richmond to improve awareness about HIV/AIDS. It became Heart of Richmond.
Brian said he’s proud of the work Heart of Richmond and Gilwest do for the community, and is glad for the advancement in treatment and prevention of HIV/AIDS.
Following Joanna’s death earlier this month, people have reached out to Brian expressing their condolences and what Joanna meant to them. One woman who works at Richmond Hospital said she credits Brian and Joanna with changing attitudes in Richmond.
Another recalled how she’s laughed and cried together with Joanna.
“Simply said, she was very friendly. Always willing to help ,” Brian told the Richmond News.
The couple met when they both worked at Philips Cables in Vancouver, and married in 1988.
Joanna was diagnosed with ovarian cancer two years ago, and died on March 11, 2019. Her family wrote in her obituary that the end came relatively quickly and they’re grateful her suffering was brief.
She’s survived by her two living children, her two step-children and her grandchildren.
A celebration of her life is being held on Saturday, March 23 at 1 p.m. at Riverside Banquet Hall.
