Coping by Helping.

• Author: Wisenthal, Paul
• Position: Brief Article

Growing up in the picturesque seaside town of San Pedro, California, in the late '80s, Jamie Morales had little time for other kids or the beach. She spent much of her free time dealing with seriously iii family members.

"Grandpa Louie died when I was 5, my Uncle Jeff when I was 6, and my mom when I was 7--all from AIDS," says Jamie, now 16 and living in Wichita, Kansas, with her legal guardian, Sandy Hyson, an AIDS educator. Morales's father, who lives nearby, also has AIDS.

Although Morales was devastated by the death of her loved ones, she began...