Important note: Information in this article was accurate in 2002. The state of the art may have changed since the publication date.
Associated Press - Sunday, October 20, 2002
Sandra Marquez, Associated Press Writer
Isabella, together with her classmates and parents, were among some 20,000 people who participated Sunday in the AIDS Walk Los Angeles.
The fifth-grader and her friends stood out along the six-mile course dotted with walkers, baby strollers, and celebrities who joined forces to raise an estimated $2.5 million and awareness for the disease that has claimed more than 450,000 lives in this country. Proceeds from the walk will help the AIDS Project Los Angeles, which provides services to men, women and children with HIV and AIDS.
Isabella walked with about 20 people who all wore T-shirts designed by the girl that read: "My friend has HIV and she is cool."
"I wanted to like sort of show our group and tell that I have HIV," said Isabella, a student at a private school in Pasadena, of her decision to make a special shirt for the event.
"If you have HIV, you are not weirder than everyone else," chimed in her friend Nora Lang, 11. "You are just the same. You just have a virus inside." Isabella and her friends are approaching the age group that event organizers had hoped to reach.
"Half of all new infections occur among teenagers aged 18-25," said Craig E. Thompson, executive director of AIDS Project Los Angeles. "You can't just go out and preach to them. Sometimes the messages have to be really subtle."
Los Angeles, which 17 years ago launched the nation's first AIDS walk, has figured out a formula for making its annual AIDS walk both fun and glamorous.
The approach calls for tapping the star power of such celebrities as Eric McCormack, who stars on the NBC sitcom, "Will and Grace" and Ming-Na, who plays Dr. Jing-Mei Chena on another NBC hit series, "ER," to remind people of the reality of AIDS.
"There still is AIDS. You still can get it. Nobody is immune and these pills are not a cure," said Thompson, referring to protease inhibitor drugs, commonly called an "HIV cocktail" that have been shown to delay the onset of AIDS in some patients.
Los Angeles Mayor James K. Hahn lent his voice to the chorus of pep talks as walkers gathered at the starting line.
"We want a cure. That is what we are marching for," said Hahn. "Thanks for caring about your brothers and sisters. Keep walking and we will beat this one day."
In all, 16,663 people are living with AIDS in Los Angeles County, according to the county's Department of Health Services.
Academy award winner Rita Moreno said she flew down from the Bay Area just for the event -- but an unexpected injury kept her from joining other walkers on the course.
"I was doing a show this week, and I just forgot I was 70 and I kept kicking my leg high and my left hip is not happy," said Moreno, who lifted spirits by posing diva-like before a row of photographers. "So I cannot walk. I was planning to, but I just can't."
Another prima donna who gave walkers something to smile about was Keila, a 16-month-old boxer dressed in a pink ballerina outfit. Keila, whose photo was posted on the Internet, raised $2,400 from sponsors.
"She is very photogenic, so, I said, 'Why don't I put a picture of her on the Web site?"' said her owner David Shanahan. "People just started sending money."
On the Net: AIDS Project Los Angeles: www.apla.org
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