World AIDS Day focus on Adoption

Contact: Don Otis, Veritas Communications, 719-275-7775, interviews@veritasincorporated.com

CHICAGO, Nov. 29, 2010 /Standard Newswire/ -- Selah was slowly dying.  When Kiel and Carolyn Twietmeyer first saw her in Ethiopia, she was 10-years old and weighed a mere 32 pounds.  Her parents had died and Selah desperately needed a blood transfusion to survive. Carolyn's blood was compatible. The transfusion was enough to boost her white blood cell count and save her life.

The Twietmeyer's are like any other American family except for one thing; they have chosen to adopt children who are HIV positive and give them new life, new hope.  Selah is one of these children.

In adopting Selah, Carolyn says, "Even if it meant she would not survive, we were going to get her. We wanted her to have hope."

Together, the Twietmeyer's started Project Hopeful -- www.projecthopeful.org/media1. Their amazing journey is featured in the December 6 issue of PEOPLE magazine, "Enough Love to Go Around."

On Tuesday evening (November 30) a segment of CBS Evening News with Katie Couric, "The American Spirit" will feature Project Hopeful and the life-saving decisions made by the Twietmeyers. Now, they are encouraging others families to do the same. "There are so many children overlooked for adoption because of the ignorance between HIV and AIDS," says Carolyn. "With the proper care and medications, people with HIV can live a normal lifespan."

While HIV is the virus that leads to AIDS, anti-retroviral drugs can keep AIDS at bay. Without the ARVs, 14,000 children are dying around the world from AIDS each day. The Twietmeyers, now proud parents of 13 children, six of whom are from Africa, explain there are 163 million orphans in the world. An astonishing 15 million children have been orphaned because of AIDS.

Project Hopeful began as a group of mothers on a mission. Their mission was to help bring awareness and action to children living abroad with HIV. More important, they began advocating for adoption of at-risk children and those who suffered loss. The Twietmeyers are quick to point out the reason behind their self-sacrificing efforts have to do with their faith in God. "This is much more than AIDs and orphans," says Carolyn, "it is about honoring God in the lives of those who are hurting."

For more information or to schedule an interview call Don Otis at Veritas Communications 719.275.7775 or email interviews@veritasincorporated.com.