It's been 14 years since Gloria Manamela learned she was HIV?positive. It was a shocking discovery that left her angry, scared and depressed.
Living in Pittsburgh at the time, Manamela contracted HIV in 1994 after having unprotected s*x with a man she dated for six months after separating from her husband. When she found out she'd been infected, Manamela was devastated.
"I never used drugs. I wasn't promiscuous. I didn't fit the stereotype of AIDS," said Manamela, who moved to Northwest Indiana six years ago and has since become an outspoken AIDS?education advocate.
While Manamela's story is sobering, it is not rare.
Nationally, an estimated 56,300 people are infected each year by the virus that causes AIDS. In Indiana, 8,851 people are living with HIV/AIDS, 15 percent of whom live in Northwest Indiana. In Lake County, half of the people living with HIV/AIDS are in Gary.
For the full story, visit:
http://www.post-trib.com/news/1307110,worl...
Posted By: Dante Lee
Monday, December 1st 2008 at 1:27PM
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