HIV crashed her life. She found her way back to joy — and spoke at the U.N. this week

Bupe Sinkala of Zambia was diagnosed with HIV shortly before her wedding, didn't tell her fiance — and later saw her life come tumbling down. With the support of family and a new job as a community health worker, she has found joy. She shared her views on the import of community health work at the U.N. General Assembly this week. (Laylah Amatullah Barrayn for NPR)

When Bupe Sinkala was diagnosed with HIV, she didn't know what to do. She was planning her wedding – and decided not to tell her fiancé at first. It was, she reflects, "a dark moment. I was scared of being rejected, of being judged. I thought it was a death sentence.'

She didn't know how to manage the disease, she didn't keep up with her drug regimen and her weakened immune system made her vulnerable to a tuberculosis infection. She got very sick, and her husband left her.