But thinking about these two basketball legends got me to thinking about another basketball professional... one who is HIV positive...Magic Johnson!
Magic Johnson is probably one of the most well known professional athletes who is living with HIV today. Although he has been living with HIV for over fifteen years, you wouldn't know it by looking at him. He looks very healthy and doesn't look too affected by the virus at all. Johnson has been such a vital role in supporting HIV research along creating numerous charities to aid in promoting healthy HIV living. I can recall that he was the first person I could ever remember that was infected with HIV. My dad was talking all about it that day when he announced it to the world. Also being a professional athlete, it really changed the sport and other sports.
Did you know??
-Johnson's HIV announcement to the world ranked as 7th in ESPN's top moments of the last 25 years (Magic Johnson, 2009)
Magic Johnson. 2009. Taken from wikipedia.com. Retrieved September 23, 2009 from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Magic_Johnson.
I remember that day as well. I am a huge basketball fan and when I found out about that situation I was shocked. Even today Johnson has no evidence that he is infected with the HIV virus. Anyways I remember their athletic trainer at the time, and he is still the athletic trainer now, took care of Johnson when he was bleeding on the court but did not use any gloves. When the media asked him why he did not use any gloves he responded and said that he wanted to set an example and show the other players that it was fine to play basketball with Magic. That there was no real danger. Crazy right?
ReplyDeleteThat is great, that people are able to continue with their lives almost as if they don't really have the disease. This is news to me, I always thought that people with HIV would experience some signs or symptoms of the disease on a daily basis. Maybe for my next did you know segment I'll look into that a bit more.
ReplyDeleteGood post. I agree that Magic doesn't look like he has HIV and he was also the first person I heard of that had HIV. I did not know that it was ranked so high in ESPN moments.
ReplyDeleteHave you ever heard of the swimmer named Greg Louganis he was an Olympic diver. No one knew he had HIV and during a dive he hit his head and was bleeding then had to tell everyone that he was positive. He tested positive in 1988.
Looks can be very deceiving. I cannot speak for anyone other than myself and those I know personally, but I look very healthy, especially for my age, but I’ve been put through the wringer by the side effects from HIV meds.
ReplyDeleteI know several men that “look” healthy, and struggle with symptoms that don’t show, and medication side effects.
Shortly after moving back to Florida at the beginning of the year, one of my friends Michael, in California died, primarily because of poverty, and the fact that his doctor said that he was “fine” and should go back to work. The doctor refused to sign the Social Security Disability paperwork. Michael “looked” healthy and robust, but since he was indigent, he was relegated to the “county doctor,” an anti-gay bigot that felt all gay men should die and go to hell.
I’m very happy that Mr. Johnson is still with us, but I don’t live in his body, and I have never talked with him, so I don’t know what his life with HIV is like.
Since the advent of the protease inhibitors in 1996, people don’t often waste away like someone from Auschwitz anymore. Heck many of us drop dead from medication side effects like massive stroke or heart attack.
Matthew where is your growth blog. I like that you use your soccer as a segway into your Did You Know, but it still doesn't tell me about your growth in the class.
ReplyDeleteMagic Johnson has taken his medications as prescribed, never missing a dose. It is his compliance, his fitness and his belief in himself that has kept him 'healthy' for so many years. I'm sure he may have had or has problems with side effects, but when you look at him it is very difficult to tell. Perhaps we should write to him and ask.