Shunned

"Many died alone, shunned even by their own mothers, who discovered their sons were gay. Others died without an obituary, without a funeral, without even a marker on their grave." 

A week or two ago, I saw a documentary - We Were Here - that chronicled the beginning of the AIDS/HIV epidemic in San Francisco in the 1980s. Earlier today I read an article about the AIDS quilt.

I don't know why this breaks my heart, but it does. The single most heartbreaking thing that I can think of is someone in pain, shunned and alone, with no one to care for them. I can't stand the thought of it.