About D-rek’s angels & warriors

  • Defy it

    The world tried to erase us.

    Long-term survivors were never meant to be here—so we are.

    But survival isn’t the end of the story.

    It’s the beginning of the fight.

  • Honor it

    We carry the names of those lost. We remember the partners, caregivers, and chosen families left behind.


    We don’t let their stories fade. We build legacy from silence.

  • fight for it

    This isn’t charity. This is a reckoning.


    We fight for those forgotten—because no survivor, no loved one, should ever be erased again.

Angels & Warriors is more than a message—it’s a movement in action.

We support long-term survivors by educating the public, speaking out in schools and communities, and fighting stigma through lived experience.

We organize:

  • An annual Toy Drive benefiting children impacted by any health condition. Every child deserves a spot of brightness in difficult times.

  • Public speaking and education events to share survivor stories and shift the narrative

  • Plans for AIDS walks, awareness campaigns, and grassroots community action

We don’t just talk about change. We show up—and we build it.

Because silence has never saved lives. But truth still can.

not just a footnote in history.

Angels & Warriors was born out of loss, fueled by injustice, and sustained by enduring love. What began as one man’s survival has grown into a movement—an unapologetic call to honor the legacy of long-term HIV survivors and to elevate the voices too often left unheard.

That man is Derek Canas, a 40-year survivor who contracted HIV through a childhood blood transfusion. He wasn’t expected to live. The world tried to erase him before he had a voice—but he made damn sure it would hear him. Now, that same determination fuels our mission.