LEXINGTON, Ky. (LEX 18) — AVOL hosted its 31st AIDS walk on Sunday afternoon, designed to raise funds and educate people about AIDS.
The walk went from remembering the lives lost to the disease to more of a celebration of how far HIV research has come with earlier diagnoses to extended life expectancy.
With all the positives, there is a stigma that still surrounds AIDS.
District 13 Senator Reginald Thomas said he is "thankful AIDS is not a death sentence as it was 40 years ago, but because of the stigma," he added, "We view it as a punishment for those who have it."
Emma Curtis is trying to eliminate that stigma by having conversations with people. "The way we overcome that stigma is just through education," said Curtis, encouraging people to come to events like the AVOL AIDS walk because that is where you can have this conversation to help educate one another.
Diagnoses are falling with the spreading of awareness, and medications like prep have helped stop the spread.
Seeing people come together at the courthouse to show support gives Curtis hope.
Curtis says, "Knowing people who have suffered through HIV and AIDS. It means the world to me to see our community come together to lift them up."
AVOL is taking one step at a time to help get rid of the disease and outdated ideas that go along with it.
If you want to donate to AVOL, you can visit Avolky.org.
