Thomas Cai was given the United Nations' high-profile Red Ribbon Award in 2006, and Premier Wen Jiabao received him in 2009 to recognize Cai's contributions to China's HIV/AIDS campaign.

But he says he's just an ordinary AIDS patient who is struggling to obtain more care, medicine and respect for more people like him.

Cai founded AIDS Care China in Guangzhou in 2001 as a shelter service for HIV/AIDS patients. Since then, the community-based program has become the largest anti-HIV/AIDS civil society in the country.