OT: Magic johnson HIV 20 years ago

[Kitaman]

Contrasting to Frazier's death Magic celebrated 20 years living with HIV.

I must say that when he announced it, I was certainly shocked. But over the years there couldn't have been a better representative/spokesman than the Magic Man. He personally eliminated the stigma and the fears of being around people with the virus. He also educated me and I'm sure others on surviving the virus.

Linky

 

[nomar]

Holy crap. Feels like yesterday.

 

[Kitaman]

I could not blame the players for not playing with him at the time.

Nobody knew if Johnson got cut, if the HIV could be transmitted to another person.

Yeah makes you wonder about MMA fighters and boxers though. One fight I saw had blood all over the mat and they were rolling in it with open pores and all.

 

[jibsey]

It's funny how you remember where you were when you hear certain things and this was one of those times, right after finishing a round of golf. Don't remember the round but with AIDS being a death sentence at that time, no one would ever have believed he would be alive 20 years later.

 

[Scot-e]

Hung out with him for several hours- one of the nicest guys ever.

 

[Mots010]

Reminds me of a great South Park Episode

 

[hungry husky]

Also 20 years ago today, Sgt. Pepper taught the band to play.

Fun fact.

 

[Edward Sargent]

You wonder how many HIV positive women were created by Magic's Johnson

 

[geohusky]

Also 20 years ago today, Sgt. Pepper taught the band to play.

Fun fact.

What??????

I think that would have been 1947

 

[Edward Sargent]

Always wondered if he really had AIDS

First guy I saw who gained weight

How many people with AIDS have you seen/ Just trying to see if you have a decent N.

 

[Fishy]

Honestly, I have no idea why we let that continue to post here.

 

[jleves]

After 20+ years of information about this, it's amazing that people still have no clue. First, he did not have AIDS. He tested postive for the HIV virus which usually leads to full blown AIDS. With aggressive medical treatment, HIV can be kept in check for years/decades and patients may not develop AIDS for a very long time if ever. Some people who never get treatment never develop AIDS, although that group is very small.

So for SouthTampaBill, you are probably right in that people with AIDS are unlikely to gain weight. But your comment is pretty ignorant in that Magic never had AIDS and there's no reason for him not to gain weight or muscle having the HIV virus.

 

[nomar]

SouthTampaBill: Progress Incarnate

 

[Prezidint]

Magic is a good man. I don't recall any comment the man ever made that was mean spirited, except for some minor offenses in the heat of basketball competition, which is easily ignored.
A good man was sleeping with a lot of women. Do I judge him based on that? No. Who am I to judge? I don't know what his deal with his wife was, what she knew, what she did in return, and so on.
He contracted an STD that was relatively unknown at the time.
Perhaps he was aware of the risk, perhaps not.
Same goes for the women he was with.
To the poster who asked, "how many women did he infect," the better question is, "how many did he infect knowingly." The answer is likely zero.
So what was his fault? Seeking sex? I suffer from that as well. It's an ethical malady that seems widespread.
In the end, the man never forced himself on anybody, and he likely did more for HIV awareness after publicly acknowledging his infection than did any other single thing.
Perhaps, in the end, he saved more lives than anybody. What? You'd think. Magic got it?
Makes you think twice.

I remember when I first heard of HIV - poor kid who got it through a blood transfusion, as I recall. He was swimming in a public pool somewhere. They ordered him out, then they drained the pool and disinfected it.

Poor kid. I'm tearing up here a bit thinking about it. Life is brutal sometimes.

 

[nomar]

Show me one person who gained weight with AIDS

Oh. My. God.

If coolness is being good at reading comprehension, no you're not very cool.

Try reading it again more slowly. Remember, HIV isn't AIDS!

 

[Dogdeacon]

What??????

I think that would have been 1947

They've been going in and out of style.
So its hard to pin down an exact date.
But they're guaranteed to raise a smile.

 

[jleves]

Show me one person who gained weight with AIDS

OK - really slowly this time. Process one word at a time:

Magic
Johnson
Does
Not
Have
And
Has
Never
Had
AIDS.

HIV
IS
NOT
AIDS.

Got it now?

 

[Dove]

Magic was way too hard to hate.

 

[uconndoit]

Magic was way too hard to hate.

That's what she said.