Activist Russ Ford praised the generosity of Bermudians as he spoke to The Royal Gazette from his US hospital bed and remembered how he won over “hostile” church leaders to support HIV/Aids awareness by asking them: “What would Jesus do?”

The community campaigner Russ Ford fought back tears of gratitude as he thanked Bermudians for their overwhelming show of support for him after a serious accident.

Speaking from his hospital bed in a specialist treatment centre in Arizona, Mr Ford became emotional at the “love” expressed to him as a drive to raise money for his long-term care heads towards $100,000 in donations from a GoFundMe page and activities.

Mr Ford also looked back on events that have shaped his life and made him so popular in Bermuda, especially his tireless work during the 1980s and 1990s to pioneer HIV/Aids awareness.

The former Nurse of the Year recalled that when he started campaigning he faced hostility not just from church leaders but also some doctors and other medical professionals.

He said responding to the Aids crisis had strengthened his faith and he was able to win around many in the church community by asking them: “What would Jesus do?”

With well-wishers providing more than $91,000 within the first month of an appeal to raise $200,000 for future needs, the veteran activist praised the generosity of Bermudians.

Clearly emotional, Mr Ford told The Royal Gazette: “This outpouring of love from Bermuda has been really amazing.

“It’s been absolutely marvellous. The people of Bermuda doing that for me shows their love and their commitment and support for me and all the things I did in Bermuda.

“So, at this point in time I’m ecstatic.

“I am just taken aback. I know that Bermudians are so generous, but for me to have received this help has been wonderful.

“I just hope they will continue to support the GoFundMe campaign and they will benefit from it — by them giving they shall receive.

“Those funds will be used to pay for my medical expenses. It’s going to mean having to modify my house. It’s going to mean purchasing special equipment — mainly two wheelchairs, as we will use one as a back-up.

“Also to pay a caregiver who will probably be with me 24 hours a day when I move back to Bermuda.”

Recalling the life-changing accident that occurred in January, Mr Ford said: “I had a very bad fall at my house and struck my head.

“At the surgery, the doctor said that I would probably end up being paralysed.

“So far, I remain paralysed from my chest right down to my feet.

“Not being able to walk or take care of myself, I have to rely upon 24-hour nursing care.

“It’s a trauma hospital; this is where they bring many of those people who get really, really mangled in accidents or whatever.”

Mr Ford set up the Agape House hospice, and formed the Star help group to support people affected by HIV and Aids.

Asked what his proudest achievement in Bermuda is, he said: “I can’t separate them from each other because they intertwine.

“I am proud of all of them all.

“What came first was the move to set up a hospice, and the need was there because many of my clients, many of the HIV population contracted it via shared needles — drug addicts. I ran a methadone clinic.

“I dealt with 95 per cent of those people in Bermuda who became infected with HIV, who went on to have full-blown Aids.”

Mr Ford remembered the harsh attitudes he encountered because he was helping people that some considered to be “lepers”.

He said: “I didn’t face any threats, but hostility, yes.

“I used to go and visit the clients in hospital — and most people in those days died within one month after being admitted to the hospital — and even in regards to the nursing staff, and even doctors, there was some ignorance on their part and some bad vibes from them towards myself.

“That’s why I cofounded Star; that gave me some extra hands to work with as a voluntary group.

“Education is key. I used to give between three and five presentations a week to the island’s schoolchildren, churches and other groups, and I can tell you that it was exhausting.

“I was able to provide comfort along with my Star volunteers.

“Right now things have quietened down, but still there’s prejudice out there towards persons with Aids. But far less than it was in the 1980s when I got started.

“The churches, they did not want to help to deal with these individuals.

“You have to appreciate at that time that people with Aids were referred to as modern-day lepers.

“So what I was able to do was to educate many of the church folks to help to change their mindset.

“I would always ask them the question, when they started to be hostile towards persons with Aids — what would Jesus do?”

Mr Ford said that he is not sure when he will be able to return home to Bermuda.

He said: “I guess I still have a great deal of treatment sessions to apply.

“I am doing all sorts of therapy, occupational therapy, speech therapy and others, basically, on a daily basis.

“I am trying to get as much treatment as possible before I leave and come back to Bermuda.

“Just doing this interview now has been exhausting because of the fact that I had a very full day today.”

• Donations can be made via HSBC account number 010 246971 011

This story was amended on April 22 to amend the bank account number