David Thompson never thought he would live to see 40.

For six years, he waited for what he considered his imminent death after being diagnosed with HIV in Chicago in 1989. The news was shocking for Mr. Thompson, who was infected after an unprotected sexual encounter.

"I was in denial," he said. "At that point, it was like doctors were just waiting for us to die."

Almost 20 years since he contracted HIV, Mr. Thompson, 43, now realizes that his diagnosis was not a death sentence, and he works to inform others about the importance of knowing their status -- not only today, World AIDS Day, but every day of the year.

He tests individuals for HIV at the Medical College of Georgia Hospital and sees daily that anyone can get infected, he said.

"The one thing all the people I see have in common is they're human," he said. "You get tested for cholesterol; you get tested for colon cancer; and you should get tested for HIV."

The native of Farmville, Va., said that in the mid-1980s he got tested annually because he was a part of a high-risk group: gay men. Once he tested positive for HIV, Mr. Thompson said, he did not consider treatment a priority.

"I figured I would just deal with it until it made me sick," Mr. Thompson said. "At that time, there wasn't much they could do."

He did not mention his diagnosis to anyone for several years, he said. He moved back to his hometown in the early 1990s. By 1995, he had decided to seek treatment.

"I was bruising easily, so I thought it might be related to the HIV," he said. "The doctor told me that my body was trying to fight the virus and it was destroying my platelets."

His doctor immediately put Mr. Thompson on a three-medication cocktail. Slowly, he said, he started to see that a fulfilling life was possible.

A sales job brought Mr. Thompson to Augusta in 1998. He had already been speaking to schools and other groups and saw a need to raise awareness in Augusta.

"It was like it was the '80s," he said. "It was something that no one wanted to talk about."

Community groups and schools invited Mr. Thompson to speak. In 2001, the Medical College of Georgia Hospital asked him to take part in the Ryan White Outreach Program team. He works as an advocate for newly diagnosed HIV patients and conducts testing.

Mr. Thompson said he believes that if the stigma leaves AIDS and HIV more people will get tested.

"People are still talking about HIV being the gay disease," he said. "The people who are diagnosed are not one common group. They are people in their 60s and 70s, people who haven't had sex in 15 years."

When Mr. Thompson is not educating people about HIV and AIDS, he is spending his free time with his partner of six years or renovating his home. He said he plans to spend this week testing people across Augusta.

"If you're negative, we want you to know that for sure," he said. "If you're positive, we want you to live well and teach you how to protect yourself and others."

Reach Stephanie Toone at (706) 823-3215 or stephanie.toone@augustachronicle.com.