She contracted the virus from a contaminated needle in a Mexico hospital in the '80s. Unaware of her condition, she married, got pregnant twice and infected both her husband and second son with HIV.

Since 1998 the woman, who wants to remain anonymous, is in care with the Ryan White program and leads a normal life despite her disease.

The Ryan White Program, funded by federal grant, operates nationwide at various institutions and provides help in the form of medical and psychological care.

Patricia McCracken, the program administrator and nurse for the Ryan White Program clinics in Tucson, said the main goal of the ambulatory program is to keep patients at stable health and to supervise their drug intakes.

A team of specialists treats side effects, such as diabetes, that can result from the HIV drugs. Mental support in the form of meetings and newsletters is also provided, she said.

In order for the treatment to be a success, patients have to be responsible in taking their medications and discussing their health with their doctors, McCracken said.

"It's collaborative work between the patients, the doctors, the pharmacists, the nurses, the patient advocates, the health educators," McCracken said.

The program in Tucson had been facilitated at the Kino Hospital for seven years before the UA took it on June 2003, McCracken said.

Now the clinics are held four times a week at Kino Hospital, 2800 E. Ajo Way, and University Medical Center, 1501 N. Campbell Ave.

There are 250 patients registered and about 30 of them are financially covered for medical expenses. About 190 patients visit on a regular basis every month or two, depending on their condition, McCracken said.

As of March 2004, 9,652 AIDS and HIV infected persons were living in Arizona, according to the 2004 HIV/AIDS annual report by the Arizona Department of Health Services.

The infected woman and her family joined the Ryan White program in Oregon in 1998, and they transferred to the Tucson program in 2000.

The couple said they are very satisfied with the help being offered to them.

"It's a great, great program. Wherever you look they give you answers, help and advice," she said.

"Without the program, I don't know if we would be here right now," her husband added.

The couple said they try to lead normal lives despite their disease. The wife and her son see the doctors about every three months, the husband about every six months.

"What I do is I think positive," she said. "Even if you get a cold, think it'll go away and it's nothing serious," she said. "Keep your head up and enjoy life, it helps."

The husband said his wife's decision to take the medicine has probably saved her live.

The Ryan White CARE Act was passed in 1990 and it is named after the 12-year-old boy Ryan White, who contracted the HIV virus from blood products in the '80s and died in 1992.

This year, $2,073,296,000 of federal money was spent on the Ryan White CARE Act, according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Web site.