Elizabeth Glaser

Birth Name:

Elizabeth Meyer

Birth Date:

November 11, 1947

Birth Place:

New York City, New York

Death Date:

December 3, 1994

Place of Death:

317 Georgina Ave, Santa Monica, California

Age:

Cause of Death:

Complications from AIDS

Cemetery Name:

Sharon Memorial Park

Claim to Fame:

The Odd and the Interesting

Elizabeth Glaser was an actress, educator, activist, author, and founder of the Pediatric AIDS Foundation, Elizabeth Glaser. In fact, it was Elizabeth Glaser’s fight to save her HIV-positive children led to her creation of the Pediatric AIDS Foundation to save children worldwide from the devastation of AIDS. Shortly after her marriage to actor Paul Michael Glaser, while giving birth to Ariel, Elizabeth hemorrhaged and was transfused with seven pints of blood. It wasn't until four years later that Elizabeth found out that she had been infected with the AIDS virus through the blood transfusion, and passed it on through her breastmilk to Ariel, who later died at the age of seven years old. The couple also had a son, Jake, who was infected with the virus in utero. Upon the death of her daughter, Glaser raised awareness of pediatric AIDS and pushed to extend availability of the drug AZT to children. In 1988, Glaser founded the Pediatric AIDS Association. In 1992, she spoke at the Democratic National Convention, criticizing the government’s failure to address the AIDS crisis. Her 1991 book, In the Absence of Angels, was praised for its honest discussion of losing a child. Glaser lost her battle with AIDS in 1994.

Interesting to Know

Three weeks after giving birth to her daughter, Mrs. Glaser read a newspaper article telling of the dangers of contracting HIV, the virus that causes AIDS, from blood transfusions. She said that her doctor reassured her and that she was not tested for the virus.

Today the Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation (EGPAF), the foundation she launched in 1988 alongside friends Susan DeLaurentis and Susie Zeegen has provided more than 32 million women with testing, counseling and treatment to prevent mother-to-child transmission, and today it supports 1.8 million people with lifesaving medications.

Elizabeth’s son Jake is alive and well and can be found working on his plant-based food company, Cool Foods, or surfing the California waves of Venice Beach where he lives.

Cemetery Information:

Final Resting Place:

Sharon Memorial Park

120 Canton Street

Sharon, Massachusetts, 02067

USA

North America

Map:

Cemetery map of Sharon Memorial Park in Sharon, Massachusetts

Grave Location:

Mt. Hermon, Section 31, Lot E.1, Space 7

Grave Location Description

As you enter the cemetery drive past the administration office on your right and continue past the stone sculpture on the right. Turn left at the next intersection and immediately park on your right. The second low-hedge section is where you will find Elizabeth and her daughter Ariel. Note that their names do not appear on the bronze memorial.