When you fight a battle, whether it's a battle with war or a battle with disease, that person can't do it alone. This belief is shared by many, including the inspiring doctors Helen Epstein and Anne Hallward. Dr. Epstein traveled to South Africa where she developed her theory of social cohesion, which she said could help eliminate high rates of HIV and AIDS. While there he observed Y centers, where the LoveLife campaign sought to educate younger generations about sexual responsibility. Dr. Hallward believes that many carry some shame within themselves and that it is toxic to keep it hidden. She believes that personal, shameful stories should be shared with others to make the heavy weight of stress that comes with shame go away, so she created Safe Space Radio so those stories could be heard. If an AIDS victim connected to Anne Hallword's theory of sharing personal stories, it could lead to social change. Hallward has hundreds of guests on his radio show, Safe Space, where they can talk about any problems a guest may have had or still has. The goal is for the story to not only help the guest feel less ashamed of their past, but help listeners who may share the same shame to connect and also feel better about it. The main idea of social cohesion is to create trusting connections with others and be able to talk openly about painful topics, which is what he is trying to do. However, is it possible to make a connection with someone you've only heard on the radio or talked to online? This is where the debate on the true meaning of social cohesion begins. Hallward invited Art Frank onto his show to discuss his misfortune with life-threatening illnesses and how he coped with illnesses by telling stories. Frank stated: Suffering is alleviated when we feel that someone else is an authentic witness to it. When we see another person who sees what we're going through and really gets it, that's it
tags