Members of HTLVida participate in an end-of-year celebration at Bahiana

"It's another year that the HTLV Center of Bahiana Health provides us with this moment of joy, where we should forget our pain, our physical limitations and celebrate. Celebrate another year of achievement of this civil society movement in favor of people living with HTLV, called HTLVida. We have a lot to celebrate", declared Francisco Daltro, member of the HTLVida Association, at the opening ceremony of the end-of-year celebration of patients and the multidisciplinary team of the institution's HTLV Center, which took place on the morning of Tuesday (03/12), at the Campus Brotas. Among the achievements, Daltro also highlighted the mandatory HTLV testing for pregnant women throughout Brazil.

The program opened with a performance by Coral Canta Bahiana and with Expo RessignificArte, an exhibition of handcrafted items produced by people living with the HTLV virus treated at the Outpatient Clinic Bahiana. "The life lessons that people bring us give new meaning to our own history, this inspired RessignificArte, which has already taken place twice remotely and is now taking place here, in person", declared Nursing course professor Aidê Nunes, creator of the exhibition and member of the Center's multidisciplinary team.

One of the most exciting moments of the morning was the fashion show of customized clothing designed by Ieda Oliveira. Having been involved with HTLV since 2013, she says that art saved her from depression and that today she has been increasingly producing and undertaking work in the fashion industry. The event ended with a prize draw.