Pre-Obituary (Prayer Obituary): A Testimony of Resilience by Grace Rutha

The views and opinions expressed in this piece are the author’s and do not necessarily represent the position of Positive Women’s Network – USA.

Introduction

This pre-obituary, also known as a prayer obituary, is an act of remembrance, resistance, and testimony. It honors the lives of long-term survivors—particularly immigrants—who have endured more than four decades of stigma, loss, and survival. It also bears witness to the truth that survival was not accidental: it was made possible by community, advocacy, and lifesaving federal programs such as the Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program, ADAP, and Pennsylvania’s Special Pharmaceutical Benefits Program (SPBP).

This prayer pre-obituary honors a 41-year journey of survival and names the systems that made that life possible.

A Life of Survival and Migration

Grace Rutha, a beloved immigrant and long-term survivor, has finished her earthly journey. For 41 years, she lived through the AIDS epidemic—through the years when a diagnosis was a death sentence, when fear outweighed hope, and when survival itself was an act of defiance.

Alongside HIV, Grace survived political oppression and the constant threat of death in her home country. She carried that hard-earned resilience across the ocean to build a new life in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. She did not survive once, but twice. She endured what was meant to destroy her.

Born near Lake Victoria in Kisumu, Kenya, Grace brought with her a spirit forged by hardship and sustained by hope. In 1985, in the early and uncertain years before effective treatment, she was diagnosed with AIDS. At a time when stigma was rampant and care was scarce, Grace chose life. She bore the physical and emotional weight of a virus that once promised erasure and transformed that burden into a 41-year legacy of advocacy, service, and resilience.

We remember Grace not only for how long she lived, but for how bravely she lived. Her story honors the full arc of her survival—from political persecution, to migration, to aging with HIV.

A Prayer of Thanksgiving for Life and Provision

O God of our weary years, God of our silent tears,

We pause to give thanks for the life of Grace Rutha.

We thank You for the 41 years of breath she was granted when hope was scarce. We thank You for the strength that carried her through illness, exile, and loss. We thank You for the doctors, advocates, and communities who refused to let her fade away.

Grace often said her survival was not hers alone—it was a miracle made possible by care and policy. We give thanks for the Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program and Pennsylvania’s Special Pharmaceutical Benefits Program, which provided lifesaving medication and allowed her to age with dignity. We give thanks for access to dental care through Ryan White, which restored her health and her smile, reminding us that whole-person care is essential to survival.

A Prayer for Continued Care and Justice

Lord, we lift up the programs that saved Grace and continue to save countless others. These resources are not charity—they are justice. They are the fulfillment of our shared responsibility to care for the vulnerable, the aging, the immigrant, and the forgotten.

We pray that these lifesaving programs are never cut. Let our government continue to see the humanity in every patient and every survivor. Let no one be forced to choose between medication and survival. Let no one age alone, unseen, or untreated. Let the government see in those aging with HIV as fountains of wisdom, as mentors, leaders, grandpas, grandmas, aunts, sisters, sons, daughters, brothers, humans.

Grace is survived by her seven biological siblings, PWN-USA family, friends, and a community of peers who now carry her story forward. Her life will be lifted at AIDSWatch 2026 as advocates engage Congress on rising consumer costs, healthcare access, and the impact of federal policy decisions on people aging with HIV.

Heavenly Father, grant Grace Rutha eternal rest, and grant us the courage to continue the fight for health equity, dignity, and compassionate care for all.

Amen.

Grace Rutha is not dead. She is alive and thriving with HIV. This “pre-obituary” is to highlight the danger of funding cuts) and acknowledge the critical role of federal funding (like Ryan White/ADAP/SPBP) in saving lives. It is a protest note and an appeal. To fiercely continue fighting for the biggest health battle for our lives.