Ryan Lewis and Macklemore have been ardent supporters of the LGBT community since they broke on the scene, but Lewis has revealed his interest in our issues is quite personal.

The Grammy-winning DJ-producer shared on Twitter that his mother, Julie Lewis, is HIV-positive. He shared their story on the website for 30/30 project, a new nonprofit Lewis and Macklemore are launching to help provide affordable healthcare worldwide:

A huge part of what's made me who I am, is something I haven't talked about in interviews. If I could just take a few moments of your time, I'd love to tell you about the strongest woman that I know, my mom, Julie Lewis.

In 1984, my mom gave birth to my older sister, Teresa. Due to a complicated delivery, she needed a blood transfusion and at that moment, my mom had HIV+ blood put into her body. When she was finally diagnosed, she was given only a few years to live. By that time, she had already given birth to my sister Laura and me. We each had a 25% chance of being born HIV+, but we were extremely fortunate (today, the risk of a mother passing HIV to her baby is 2% or less if she is taking medication). Thanks to advanced medicine and healthcare available here in the U.S., my mom has lived despite her odds.

To honor the thirty years my mom has been a survivor, our family is raising funds to build health centers worldwide that will stand strong for at least thirty years. We're calling it the 30/30 Project.

We are partnering with Construction for Change, a Seattle-based nonprofit, to carry out construction. And we have local partners on the ground, such as Partners in Health, to run and operate the health facilities long-term. We want to give hope to women and families in other parts of the world who lack access to quality, affordable healthcare.

With this amazing past year I've had, I am honored to be the first donor for the 30/30 Project, jumpstarting the construction of the first health center in Malawi. I am asking you to join my family and see how far we can take this...

The foundation has launched an indiegogo campaign to raise $100,000 for medical facilities in Malawi, with plans for more hospices in Kenya. (Lewis and Macklemore are donating unique merchandise to encourage donations.)

Some have criticized Macklemore and Ryan Lewis for "coopting" gay rights by releasing "Same Love"—and performing it during a mass wedding at the Grammys. Whether or not Lewis' discussion of his link to the HIV/AIDS crisis will change that perception remains to be seen.