It's interesting to read these letters, which are reminiscent of the ones that flew when Dr Christian Barnaard performed the first heart transplant in Groote Schur in South Africa. Then, too, the chances of survival were tiny, yet patients pleaded for the chance to try. Now this is almost a standard procedure.
Of course we should do other things first: for instance, blast Africa with pro-condom and pro-safe-sex broadcasts, to override the puritanical attitudes that can lead to people catching the sickness, and force the big pharma companies to supply their drugs cheaply enough to cure the pandemic.
We should have worldwide socialised medicine - and worldwide programmes to stop people getting sick, and influence people to eat and exercise well.