At the STAR Program, our story has always been one of resilience, compassion, and community. Few symbols capture that spirit more powerfully than the STAR Survivors Quilt—a living tapestry of courage, created by people who turned pain into purpose and survival into art.
The idea was born in 2015, when Mary Crymes, BSN, RN, ACRN, then Charge Nurse at STAR-Downstate, and a long-time member of our STAR family, was inspired by the historic AIDS Memorial Quilt. Every year, SUNY Downstate displayed memorial panels created by friends and family who had lost loved ones to AIDS. Mary wanted to honor something just as profound: the people who survived.
“I thought, we had a whole panel of patients who have survived this fight for the last 10, 15, even 20 years. Let’s do something that shows they’re still here, still alive, and still kicking.”
With support from Dr. Jack DeHovitz, STAR Program Director, the Survivors Quilt came to life. Patients gathered in our clinic and cafeteria, sewing, sharing, remembering, and healing together. Each square became a story. A testimony. A declaration that being HIV positive does not mean life is over.
“Life is not over,” one survivor said. “Being HIV positive, life is not over.”
One of the founding members was Michael Anderson, who joined the project from day one. Diagnosed in 1991, Michael was a force of nature — funny, wise, and unshakably honest. His quilt square read, “A million didn’t make it — and thank God I’m one in a million that did.”
Michael passed away this year, and we miss him dearly. We remember him with warmth and gratitude, knowing he would be proud to see the quilt restored and celebrated again. His spirit is stitched into every fiber.
Another participant shared:
“This quilt gives me hope. Hope to keep going, hope to help others, and hope to remind everyone that you can live.”
To preserve these stories and ensure future generations understand their importance, the STAR Program produced a short documentary about the Survivors Quilt, directed by Jose Iorio, STAR’s Media & Marketing/Community Engagement Consultant, 5 years ago.
The documentary features heartfelt testimonials from three of our patients whose quilt squares represent their journeys of survival, healing, and hope. It also features Dr. Jack DeHovitz and Mary Crymes, who reflect on the Quilt’s origins, its meaning for the STAR community, and the urgency of continuing this work today.
This film stands as a living archive, a reminder of where we’ve been and a guidepost for where we must go. WATCH DOCUMENTARY HERE
This year, the quilt underwent a careful and loving restoration led by Mary. It was facilitated by MichelleAnn Joseph, Project Staff Assistant, renewing its colors, reinforcing its fabric, adding a border, and preparing it for a new chapter in its journey.
In December, the restored Survivors Quilt was displayed publicly for the first time at the World AIDS Day Symposium held by Health & Education Alternatives for Teens (HEAT) Program at SUNY Downstate .
The theme of this year’s event — “Rising to the Challenge: Care, Connection, Community” — resonated deeply as attendees gathered around the quilt. It became a focal point for reflection, celebration, and renewed commitment to ending HIV stigma and ensuring access to care.
A Promise Moving Forward
The STAR Survivors Quilt is more than fabric. It is memory. It is resilience. It is a community. It is love stitched together by people who refused to give up.
It honors those we’ve lost.
It celebrates those who live.
And it reminds us — every day — that survival is not just about living.
It’s about living with purpose.
