COLORADO SPRINGS, COLO. -- The Sourthern Colorado Aids Project is spreading the message of courage and hope in Colorado Springs, in honor of National Women and Girls HIV/AIDS Awareness Day.
One keynote speaker, in particular, has been living with the disease for 27 years as her marriage took an unthinkable turn. Penny DeNoble married a man who did not realize he had the virus earlier in his life. The disease continued to live in his body and then it just imploded, according to DeNoble.
"He was diagnosed with full blown AIDS, and six months later he was dead."
Every year, thousands of women are infected with the disease. One in three individuals with HIV don't know that they're infected.
In Colorado, more than 1,000 women are currently living with HIV or AIDS, and that number conitnues to increase, according to Betsy Kleiner, an Infectious Disease Physician.
"There are about 56,000 new cases each year, and 21% of those are women and girls over the age of thirteen. We're here today to raise awareness and let women know what they can do to protect themselves."
Both Penny and Betsy also say it's important to keep in mind that educating yourself in preventing and treating the disease goes both ways, not just with the person infected, but also the person who is affected.
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