In 1981, the CDC announced a rare form of pneumonia that was quickly taking lives. Since, the HIV/AIDS epidemic has claimed the lives of more than 30 million people.

The epidemic in America has shifted from what many considered a death sentence to what many now think is a manageable chronic disease in America. Over the past decade, HIV and AIDS have become a forgotten disease in this country and in the process the face of HIV in America has changed.

Often we see photos of persons with HIV in an urban setting but there is a whole population of people living with HIV and AIDS in rural parts of this country that remain in the dark.Those who live with HIV in a rural community live differently than those in big cities and the hardships of living with HIV and AIDS in a rural community differs from that of someone living in a city.

This project looks at the main issues described by persons living with HIV in rural areas include stigmas and prejudice associated with the disease, the lack of social support for persons with HIV in rural areas and the increased demands on rural health care facilities.

The stories of Ray, David, Kay and Nathan reveal their battle with intimacy, aging, motherhood and loneliness while living with HIV in small rural communities.

This page and the HIV project are under construction. I should have the project and all of its stories updated in a couple of days. Thanks Jenn