Magic Johnson HIV Positive for 16 Years now

[5starbomb]

I just saw an interview with Magic and he looks very healthy, which is awesome. I cant believe it has been 16 years. I remember it like it was yesterday when Magic retired from the game of BBall the first time and told the world he was HIV positive, I was only 8 years old but I do remember it. Im glad to see hes doing well, hopefully one day with technology we can beat HIV and all forms of cancer with ease.

 

[gynecologist]

I was in fourth grade when he announced it..

 

[WVU]

Will he die because of aids?

 

[lapdance]

he don't have aids.

 

[WVU]

ok will he die from being HIV positive?

 

[mr21]

just proves that money can buy you almost anything

 

[Clone]

We had a discussion about Magic in my medical aspects of exercise class. There are 4 stages of HIV with AIDS being the 4th stage. Magic is in stage 2 my professor said. People have lived in stage 2 for up to 26 years before going to stage 3 I believe. People in this stage live and look healthy with almost no differences from someone without HIV. He could live the rest of his life healthy, but at anytime the virus can take over and he will rapidly decline. With all the new medicine and the money he has, it is thought he can keep himself in stage 2 and live out his life though.

 

[quantumleap]

In the near future HIV will be like diabetes. Incurable, but liveable with a few health drawbacks.

 

[ElJefe]

It was one of those events where everyone remembers where they were when that news got announced. So shocking at the time.

 

[CAPNCRUNCH]

It was one of those events where everyone remembers where they were when that news got announced. So shocking at the time.

Yes, I took the Laker game off the board and caught shitt for doing so.

 

[DNoonan]

ok will he die from being HIV positive?

HIV doesn't kill you...AIDS doesn't either, at least not directly. If you are HIV positive and it progesses to AIDS, it means your immune system is then severly compromised and you are at risk of dying from more common ailments like pneumonia...my sister has worked in the field in the US, Africa and other devloping areas for the last decade.

 

[CalvinTy]

Right, DNoonan. As Clone mentioned earlier, there are 4 stages of HIV infection leading to AIDS. Pasting from Wikipedia article on AIDS:

* Stage I: HIV disease is asymptomatic and not categorized as AIDS
* Stage II: includes minor mucocutaneous manifestations and recurrent upper respiratory tract infections
* Stage III: includes unexplained chronic diarrhea for longer than a month, severe bacterial infections and pulmonary tuberculosis
* Stage IV: includes toxoplasmosis of the brain, candidiasis of the esophagus, trachea, bronchi or lungs and Kaposi's sarcoma; these diseases are indicators of AIDS.

Another interesting part of the article that probably relates to Magic's case:

"Current treatment for HIV infection consists of highly active antiretroviral therapy, or HAART. This has been highly beneficial to many HIV-infected individuals since its introduction in 1996 when the protease inhibitor-based HAART initially became available."

"HAART allows the stabilization of the patient’s symptoms and viremia, but it neither cures the patient of HIV, nor alleviates the symptoms, and high levels of HIV-1, often HAART resistant, return once treatment is stopped. Moreover, it would take more than the lifetime of an individual to be cleared of HIV infection using HAART. Despite this, many HIV-infected individuals have experienced remarkable improvements in their general health and quality of life, which has led to the plummeting of HIV-associated morbidity and mortality. In the absence of HAART, progression from HIV infection to AIDS occurs at a median of between nine to ten years and the median survival time after developing AIDS is only 9.2 months. HAART is thought to increase survival time by between 4 and 12 years."

I put the above text in bold as that explains Magic's condition as I have always wondered, "wow, time has flown by but Magic is still apparently in good health!"

* CalvinTy

 

[5teamparlay]

http://lakersblog.latimes.com/laker...es-he-didnt-retire-so-early.html?dlvrit=53297

Magic Johnson wishes he hadn't retired so early
August 2, 2011*|* 1:39 pm
*

11 30
The devastating news proved more painful than any injury. Yet, Magic Johnson vowed he'd survive.
Delivering the news could have put strain on his marriage, but, in his eyes, it strengthened it.*
The stigma could've hurt his legacy as a five-time NBA champion and, in the eyes of many, the greatest Laker of all time. But it actually enhanced it.
In a one-on-one conversation with Johnson at Loyola Marymount University, Times columnist Bill Plaschke appropriately remarked that nearly three months from now would mark the 20th anniversary of Johnson's stunning announcement that he had contracted HIV, the virus that causes AIDS. The fact that Johnson was sitting there for a full hour reliving his Laker memories in full spirits and, most importantly, in good health, remains an accomplishment in itself.*
Still, it pains Johnson to this day that he cut his NBA career short, frankly because he didn't believe it was necessary.
"If I knew what I know now, I wouldn't have retired," Johnson said. "But I didn't know that then. And you've just got to go with what happened."

At the time, many wrongly perceived that Johnson had contracted AIDs and that he could spread the disease through simple contact. His abrupt retirement in 1991 did little to quell that notion, but his participation in the 1992 NBA All-Star game and as a member of the U.S. Dream Team in the Olympics quickly put those qualms to rest. Still, Johnson retired before coming back in the 1995-96 season amid continued skepticism from even his U.S. Olympic teammates that he'd put everyone else at risk.
"They just didn't want the Lakers to be strong again," Johnson said. "I decided to retire because I didn't want to hurt the game."

 

[billhill999]

just proves that money can buy you almost anything

This.

If Magic's name was Tyrone Davis of Newark NJ, and worked for the factory at the National Box Company, Magic, oops, I mean Tyrone, would have been dead and buried nine years ago.

 

[TheComputerGroup]

I was talking about this with my cousin 2 days ago & we were wondering how he survived this whole time while others died do easily. Im assuming someone with Magic's money got & will get the best medicine money can buy, hence his survival. It also helps that he was a pro athlete that always stayed in shape.

 

[TheComputerGroup]

It was one of those events where everyone remembers where they were when that news got announced. So shocking at the time.

Me & my brother were buying baseball cards at a card shop when it came across the t.v. in the shop. Do they even have baseball card stores anymore?

 

[DeathEatsaCracker]

In the near future HIV will be like diabetes. Incurable, but liveable with a few health drawbacks.

In the near future, probably. I'd say there will be a vaccination for HIV within 15 years, though.

 

[sharky99]

good to see him last so long, they will come up with some concrete down the road, I remember I was playing NTN Trivia at a local Sportsbar and had an Under in a Blackhawks game, one of the teams pulled their goalie and I couldn t allow another goal. With a few seconds left a player shoots it from around the redline and hits the post, lol, people I remember in the bar were real quiet and in shock

 

[X-Files]

HIV is no longer considered a death sentence but rather a disease like diabetes.
This has been the case for a number of years.

http://www.medindia.net/news/HIV-No-Longer-a-Death-Sentence-Conference-Told-24024-1.htm

"... the advent and relatively noticeable success of protease inhibitors and other drugs for treating HIV infections have changed the perception of HIV infection from an untreatable terminal illness to a treatable chronic malady similar to diabetes or epilepsy."

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bareback_(sex)


The following link speaks of one man who was apparently cured of AIDS. Also mentioned are new preventative measures and a partly effective vaccine, etc.

"The example is Timothy Ray Brown of San Francisco, the first person in the world apparently cured of AIDS. His treatment isn't practical for wide use, but there are encouraging signs that other approaches might someday lead to a cure, or at least allow some people to control HIV without needing medication every day."

"...For now, the focus remains on preventing new infections. With recent progress on novel ways to do that and a partially effective vaccine,"we're starting to get the feel that we can really get our arms around this pandemic," Fauci said.

"...In the USA though, newly diagnosed patients have a life expectancy only a few months shorter than people without HIV. Modern drugs are much easier to take, and many patients get by on a single pill a day.


http://ca.news.yahoo.com/one-mans-success-revives-hope-curing-aids-30-050557388.html

"Like all medications, HIV drugs can cause side effects. In most cases, the side effects of HIV drugs are mild, like a headache or an upset stomach. In some cases, more serious side effects can happen, like liver damage or a severe skin rash.

"Side effects are most common during the first four to six weeks you are taking a new HIV medication. After your body gets used to the new drug, the side effects usually get better or go away.


http://www.thewellproject.org/en_US/Treatment_and_Trials/Things_to_Consider/Side_Effects.jsp

 

[GoSooners]

From what I've heard, although the HIV coctail prolongs HIV patients lives, it also can have some nasty side affects like high blood pressure. And it can cause very high cholesteral. And many will ultimately die of heart attacks from the drug itself before they get past stage 3. .