Eliana Martínez: A Casualty of Fear

The project was originally produced as long-form photojournalism and remains a record of a time when misinformation about HIV and AIDS shaped public behavior, institutional decisions, and the lives of families already facing illness and isolation.

The photographs document not only one child’s struggle, but also the larger climate of fear that surrounded pediatric AIDS in the 1980s. Eliana’s story became part of a broader public reckoning over discrimination, medical misunderstanding, disability, education, and basic human compassion.