Statement on the Death of Elizabeth Glaser

Hillary and I are deeply saddened at Elizabeth Glaser's passing. She was our friend and an inspiration to us as she was to millions of others. Our prayers are with Paul and Jake, her parents, and her brother.

Elizabeth confronted the challenge of AIDS in her own life and lost her beloved daughter to AIDS at a time when our Government and our country were too indifferent to this illness and the people who had it.

She refused to let that indifference stand, fighting bravely for more investment in AIDS research and better treatment and care, especially for children with AIDS. She enlisted Americans from both parties and all walks of life in her cause, and she awakened America to AIDS.

I will never forget what she said about her daughter in her address to the Democratic Convention:

"She taught me to love when all I wanted to do was hate. She taught me to help others when all I wanted to do was help myself. She taught me to be brave when all I felt was fear. My daughter and I loved each other with simplicity. America, we can do the same."

We will all miss Elizabeth Glaser. We need more like her. We must honor her memory by finishing the work to which she gave everything she had.