Joe Average’s story is literally a dream come true. While he had always been interested in drawing and photography, he felt motivated to add fuel to that passion after being diagnosed with HIV in 1984. Since then, he has become an award-winning artist in Canada, particularly in helping to de-stigmatize and empower the LGBTQ community.

He devoted himself to improving the care and treatment for people with HIV/AIDS and his work saved millions of lives around the world.