There are milestones that we aspire to reach – graduations, promotions, parenthood or an anniversary. We proudly accomplish these goals through a combination of persistence, perseverance and hard work.

Then, there are those milestones you reach – with the same persistence, perseverance and hard work – that you hoped you’d never have to. This year, as AIDS Walk San Diego commemorates its 20th anniversary, it is a time to celebrate our commitment to fighting HIV/AIDS, but it is a milestone we never hoped to reach. In the early days of the epidemic we lived with tremendous urgency and fear, but somehow we thought – and hoped with all our hearts – that certainly by now there would be a cure.

We reach this 20th year with a deep gratitude for all those who have carried this event forward over the years – even as AIDS Walk events ceased to exist in other communities. This Sunday – as we first did 20 years ago – we will walk with loving and broken hearts to remember those we’ve lost. And we will – as we have for two decades – walk with a fierce determination to support those living with HIV/AIDS, to prevent others from contracting the disease and to send a message of compassion and hope.

Over the past 20-plus years, I, like so many others, have lost too many friends, colleagues and clients. Some of us know precisely how many we lost. For others, after a while, it was simply too painful to keep count. The losses have permeated our lives, whether it was an address book full of crossed-out entries or empty seats at our tables or the missing laughter at a party. It was, and still is, a palpable loss.

So we reach this 20 year mark with mixed emotions. It wasn’t a milestone we sought to achieve, but because people are still living with HIV/AIDS and still becoming infected, we must continue. We cannot give up.

We can’t give up because there are those among us, and some who have passed on, who could have easily given up 20 years ago. They could have thrown up their hands and said there’s nothing we can do. Instead, even as their health deteriorated and their partners and friends passed away, they built a system of programs and services to help those living with the disease. They made promises to help take care, and passed on to us that promise to keep.

And keep it, we must.

On Sunday, we will walk with those who would never have believed they’d still be here 20 years later. We will walk with those who weren’t even born 20 years ago. We will walk with those who have, thankfully, never known the type of loss some of us have lived through, but who have never known a world without AIDS.

Unfortunately, in many communities, there is no AIDS Walk, no collective opportunity for the public to show its support or provide additional funding. In San Diego, AIDS Walk is a concrete way – particularly in the wake of recent funding cuts – to continue to show our support for people impacted by HIV/AIDS and also to raise vital funds for the organizations who serve them.

This year in particular, we truly need to accomplish both goals – to make absolutely certain people living with HIV/AIDS and their loved ones know they are not alone and that they are cared for, and to ensure that the services that make such a difference in their lives continue to be offered.

If you haven’t yet registered or supported a walker, please do so today by going to www.AIDSWalkSD.org. You can also call 619-291-WALK (9255) for more information. And please join us on Sunday, Sept. 27 – as they have for 20 years, the steps we all take that day make a huge difference for so many.