In the summer of 2014, I was raped by someone I thought was a friend. As you can imagine, it was a horrifying experience. It only got worse when I discovered that the assault had left me with an incurable STD. I was devastated, and it is a heavy weight I carry with me every day. Hope for a cure slipped away as I embarrassingly fell for fake cures and promises that would never be fulfilled. But that hope returned when I discovered DRACO, a promising treatment to kill viruses that could change the lives of millions.

DRACO is a drug that convinces viruses and infected cells to start apoptosis, the process of destroying themselves. It was developed at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and published experiments have shown DRACO successfully treating the bird flu and the common cold. There is hope that DRACO could be effective in treating a variety of viruses. For people like me, it’s a chance to live a life without fear and stigma.

But for the full potential of DRACO to be realized, there needs to be more funding so that additional trials can happen. I’m calling on the National Institutes of Health to fund DRACO to help get the drug available for public use as soon as possible.   

The National Institutes of Health is one of the most important organizations when it comes to biomedical and health research. With a budget of over $26 billion dollars, their investment in research can make or break a potential new drug. I’m hoping the potential shown in the research already done and a surge of public support will get them to provide DRACO developers with the funding they need to continue their research.

DRACO could be a chance for me to get back a part of my life that was taken away the day I was raped. It has been particularly hard living in a small town. Everyone knows everyone, and I have kept my infection a closely guarded secret. So much so that I’ve remained alone despite being deeply in love with someone who would be wonderful partner. My story is the story of millions of people. It’s something that could become your own story or that of someone you love.

I hope you will join me in getting the NIH to fund DRACO and hopefully bring peace and health to millions of people. Please sign and share my petition today.

For more information, please visit: https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/dracos-may-be-effective-against-all-viruses#/