Another step against AIDS Thousands touched by the disease take to the streets for annual fundraiser

BYLINE: George Merritt, Denver Post Staff Writer

The Denver Post
August 25, 2003

Josh Gomes probably had contracted HIV by the time he was 2 years old.

Like many other hemophiliacs, he received a blood transfusion tainted with the virus, got full-blown
AIDS and died in 2001 at age 21 from a reaction to medication.

Gomes' heartbreaking story and a desire to raise awareness has brought Mary Gomes - Josh's mother - to AIDS Walk Colorado for 15 of the event's 16 years.

'The hemophiliac community lost a whole generation,' Mary said Sunday as she marched with friends and family during this year's walk. 'Really, today's patients are either really young or pretty old.
Everybody Josh's age is gone.'

Walk officials did not give an exact number of people who participated, but spokeswoman Jackie Long estimated about 8,000 walkers, sponsors and volunteers took part in the 10-kilometer walk from Denver's Cheesman Park to City Park and back.

The event is a fundraiser for the Colorado AIDS Project and 30 other service organizations. Money raised at the walk supports those living with the disease and also helps fund education and prevention efforts, Long said.

Some who participated carried signs; some, such as the Gomes family, wore shirts honoring lost loved ones; and many others hiked through the heat for a good cause.

'Our walkers really made a statement today,' Long said Sunday. 'It is not always easy to raise awareness for this disease at this time, when it doesn't get as much notoriety as it used to.'

Rosa Herron said she brought her daughter out to support her community. The two of them stood on a corner along 17th Avenue with blue pompoms, cheering on walkers as they entered City Park.

'I think it is your civic duty to support your community,' Herron said. 'I want to teach my daughter, Elana, about civic pride.'

For Pam Paricio, who walked with the Gomes family, the reason for the walk is obvious. Her 13-year-old son is a hemophiliac, but he does not have AIDS.

"I owe it to people like Josh and Mary to be here," Paricio said. "They underwent so much to make the blood supply safe. For me, the walk is a tribute to them."

 

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