Our January 2018 Shero of the Month is Olga Irwin of Youngstown, Ohio. Diagnosed with AIDS in 1999, Olga has been an active member of PWN-USA for years, serving as co-chair of the PWN-USA Ohio chapter; as a member of the Strategic Communications Action Team (SCAT), policy and organizing workgroups; and as a member of the planning committees for the 2014, 2016 and upcoming 2018 SPEAK UP! Summits. She has served many years on Ryan White planning councils, several state prevention and care groups, and has been publicly sharing her story of living with HIV for years. She was recognized with a Trailblazer Award for Lifetime Achievement this past October at the Transforming Care Conference.

Olga’s work and visibility as a fierce advocate ramped up in 2017, as she got very involved in the fight to protect health care. In addition to a number of protests and press conferences in her region, where she spoke to media and the public about why health care access was so critical for her and others living with chronic conditions, she traveled to Washington, D.C., five times, where she was arrested three times for civil disobedience during large-scale protests on Capitol Hill. These actions helped get far more media coverage about the ACA repeal attempts and how the tax bill would impact health care for low-income people and those with chronic conditions.


We asked Olga what gives her the drive, motivation and strength to keep fighting without burning out, even when struggling with her own health issues. “When I was first diagnosed, I was so stigmatized and discriminated against. I’d never felt so belittled in my life. Then eventually I hooked with a support group, and from then on, I always said I will not let a person go through what I did. What gives me motivation is mostly when I hear that people are experiencing some the same treatment I’ve received.
“I was raised by a family that taught me to stand up for my rights and for the rights for others who can’t stand up for themselves. The strength I get is from hearing stories of my family members’ survival during Stalin’s forced famine in Ukraine, and after that the Holocaust. If my family members could survive this, with their support and what they’ve taught me about standing up for human rights and against racism, I can do this. I also always take with me a part them when I go to speak out: I take my everyday watch, my grandmother’s necklace, my aunt’s ring and mom’s walker,” explained Olga.
“When I joined PWN, I got the training and support I needed; I can’t thank PWN enough. They are my new family,” she added.
We look forward to continuing to work with Olga throughout 2018 and beyond!

Know someone who deserves to be a PWN-USA Shero of the Month? Nominate them here!