SAN DIEGO – The 2013 AIDS Walk, Run & Street Challenge San Diego has announced it will feature the Survivors Exhibit as part of its 24th annual event Sunday, Sept. 29 in Balboa Park.
This moving photo series by Jae L. Hansen features men and women who are long-term survivors of HIV/AIDS, diagnosed before 1997.
“I present this project as a celebration of long-term survivors of HIV – those who were diagnosed during a scary time when premature death seemed a certainty, those who lost so many friends and family, those who have lived through the devastation caused by this disease, those who continue to live with courage,” Hansen said.
“I also present this project as a reminder that, while we have made great progress, the battle is not yet over,” Hansen continued. “Despite the medical advancements of the past decade, the effects of HIV remain with us. Many survivors face side-effects from medications and other health issues complicated by HIV. Many others do not have access to adequate health care. Countless others are still dying of AIDS here in the U.S. and around the world.”
AIDS Walk, Run & Street Challenge is San Diego County’s largest one-day HIV/AIDS fundraiser. In addition to providing much-needed funding for local HIV/AIDS service organizations that serve the approximately 12,500 people living with HIV in San Diego County, AIDS Walk helps raise awareness about the impact of HIV and AIDS.
AIDS Walk, Run & Street Challenge San Diego is a program of The San Diego LGBT Community Center. For more information, or to register today, visit www.AIDSWalkSD.org. For more information on the Survivors Exhibit, please visit www.survivorsexhibit.com.
