In Memoriam

NYBC joins kindred spirits around the world in mourning the loss and celebrating the life of our friend and HIV pioneer Lynde Francis, who passed away Tuesday, March 31.

In 1986, Lynde was diagnosed HIV positive and told she had "three to five years to live."

She reacted by revealing her HIV+ status publicly, devoting her life to researching the power of nutrition in fighting the disease and sharing this knowledge, founding The Centre from her own living room in Harare. The Centre, run by and for people with HIV, has since served thousands of Zimbabweans, often in the face of great adversity and ignorance-fueled opposition. NYBC has been a proud supporter of The Centre and its work, sending supplies of nutritional supplements several times annually. A personal friend of our own George Carter, she was his guest during her last visit to the U.S. to attend the United Nations General Assembly Special Session on HIV/AIDS here in New York last June.

Lynde was a tireless advocate for the people of Zimbabwe living with HIV, especially women and children: she was the Southern African regional representative for the International Community of Women living with HIV (ICW) and a founding member of the Pan-African Treatment Activists movement (PATAM). She served on the board of Women and AIDS Support Network (WASN), Cedas Trust, Zimbabwe Activists on HIV and AIDS (ZAHA), and was a member of the regional reference group for the Ecumenical HIV and AIDS Initiative in Africa (EHEIA). Lynde was part of the Country Coordinating mechanism for Zimbabwe and a founding member of the Zimbabwe National Network of People Living with HIV.

She leaves behind an extended international family, including 10 grandchildren.

Lynde will be remembered and respected around the world for her advocacy and education efforts on all aspects of holistic management of HIV, as well as for her innovative and meaningful involvement of people with HIV in their own care and treatment.

Currently, the New York State Legislature is considering a bill (Assembly bill A2957; Senate bill S1034) that would require any dietary supplement manufacturer to add a dire new warning to the label. The wording is: “NOT TESTED BY THE FDA.”
It is common knowledge that the FDA does not test supplements - perhaps it should (rendering such a ridiculous law moot). Passage of this bill would adversely affect an estimated 17,000 manufacturers in New York State, and potentially set off a wave of hysteria about supplements.

NYBC strongly believes in assuring the quality of our products. But forcing a label change such as this will simply cause prices to rise and not help anyone in a meaningful way. Please contact your state Rep and Senator and ask them to vote against this foolish proposal.