Macklemore and Ryan Lewis
Ryan Lewis has revealed his mother is HIV-positive.
The 'Same Love' hitmaker, who is one half of the Grammy-winning hip-hop duo Macklemore & Ryan Lewis, opened up for the first time about Julie Lewis contracting the virus, after being given contaminated blood during an emergency transfusion in 1984, as he launched his new non-profit the 30/30 Project to provide access to affordable healthcare across the globe.
The 26-year-old star wrote on the organisation's fundraising page on Indiegogo.com: "If I could just take a few moments of your time, I'd love to tell you about the strongest woman that I know, my mom, Julie Lewis.
"In 1984, my mom gave birth to my older sister, Teresa. Due to a complicated delivery, she needed a blood transfusion and at that moment, my mom had HIV-positive blood put into her body. When she was finally diagnosed, she was given only a few years to live."
He added: "To honour the 30 years my mom has been a survivor, our family is raising funds to build health centres worldwide that will stand strong for at least 30 years.
"We're calling it the 30/30 Project."
The organisation's first mission is to raise $100,000 to build a health centre in the Neno District of Malawi, Africa, where one in 10 people are HIV-positive.
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