“Secrets, Aids And Faith: The Story Of Joyce Claypool.” Improbable Heroine

Joyce Claypool, the survivor of a splintered childhood, is a widow and a mother. She also has AIDS.

With her daughter, Kara, Claypool pried open the doors Spokane once used to keep AIDS hidden from public view.

Together, they brought the issue to schools, service clubs, medical institutions and women’s groups. They won the admiration of thousands in the Inland Northwest.

Kara, who also had AIDS, is gone now. But Claypool remains an improbable heroine, inspiring others with her honesty, endurance and faith. Starting Thursday, find out what shaped her life, her convictions and her desire to bring this disease into the public eye as The Spokesman-Review begins a series in the InLife section: “Secrets, AIDS and Faith: The Story of Joyce Claypool.”

, DataTimes