More of Magic to Love

46. it's funny to me that a man can say he is HIV+ in 1991 when others were dying of this disease (and my friends among them) and because he has money and stature is alive and healthy. he champions himself as an activist for the cause, but other than come out as positive, what did he do? a few public service announcements? what does he continue to do? apparently his levels are so low that he is undetectable and i guess that gives him the freedom to ignore his disease. i wish others were that lucky. no, HIV is not the death sentence that it once was, but it's still not something we can ignore just because it's not in our face. would you ignore racism if it was whispered instead of yelled? sexism? homophobia? you probably would...and that's the saddest thing about this picture

Posted at 5:54AM on Mar 26th 2008 by lilgerry

47. wow...tons of negative comments from typical products of incest, i see, no wonder your mom was a whore!

Posted at 8:53AM on Mar 26th 2008 by GOD

48. As an HIV researcher I think it is important for you to know the following:

a) HIV is a death sentence. People do not lead normal, healthy lives for years on new HAART therapies. They live longer before progressing to AIDS, but almost all will eventually progress to AIDS. Most on this therapy suffer opportunistic infections, very serious osteopenia/osteporosis and vascular events after long courses of treatment. While someone can live 12+ years with HIV while on these therapies, they do suffer serious health consequences from the virus and the therapy. HIV changes the architecture of the thymus and lymph nodes, as well as distorting and destroying haemopoetic stem cells. It lives in cerebral spinal fluid and lymph nodes in normal numbers when a patient is on therapy. Even if viral counts in the blood is low, it is these privileged areas, replicating, changing immune cells, doing damage and adapting to drugs in the body. Viral resistance to these drugs is high. Patients eventually run out of drugs for therapy, virus numbers climb and the patients progress to AIDS.

b) There is a small subset of people that are referred to as "long-term" progressors. These are people that take longer that typical 10-12 year "latency" period of HIV-1 infection to start to show signs of sever immunosuppression. Given Johnson's long history with the virus, in advance of effective anti-HIV drugs on the market, it has long been suggested that he might be one of these people. There are a subset of cell receptor alleles (HLA alleles) in African American populations that have been suggested as possibly contributing to long term progression in a small number of people.

c) TMZ should be absolutely ashamed of itself. Apart from picking at the physical shape of a man who is terminally ill and suffers the effects of the mittfuls of pills he has to take everyday, they have completely glossed over this terrible disease by splashing these images around.

...and to commentor #6 - get the facts. This is terminal illness for which there is no cure and current treatments are very physically damaging. Do not confuse and extra 5 or 10 years of life with "lack of threat". I think it is particularly ignorant to be posting such blatantly untrue information when a great deal of this country cannot access the best therapies for care, and will have shortened, ill lives as a result.

Posted at 11:00AM on Mar 26th 2008 by JFB

49. Mr. Researcher. All your comments were negative and angry. I think you need to change your job. If you are depressed, seek a doctor for depression medicines. You are leading a life of gloom and doom.

Posted at 12:22PM on Mar 26th 2008 by Pessimist

50. Hey smart ones...Would you rather have him spend his riches on frivolous things or his health?
I think buying his health was the smartest thing he could of done.
HIV kills, protect yourself.
Let's just hope his $$ never runs out.

I wonder if any of the 1,000 women ever thought they contracted HIV from him and whether he helped($$$) them out?

Posted at 1:09PM on Mar 26th 2008 by Natika

51. That Ninja got big!!

Posted at 2:25PM on Mar 26th 2008 by Filthy McNasty

52. His meds probably include cortisteroids. Those things can really make you pack on the pounds. When I was on them, I blew up by 40 lbs.! It was a mother getting it off, too.

Posted at 3:46PM on Mar 26th 2008 by Mama Says

53. My GOD! I hope you're happy, TMZ--now I'm blind!

Posted at 7:58AM on Mar 28th 2008 by becky

54. Magic seems a very good guy. He always said Hi to me at Tae Bo. Very nice. I haven't seen him for a while tho...I heard he followed a very strict alkaline diet?? food and water. Was he drinking Kangen water? Do you know? I know people who survived from cancer thank to this miracle water .

Posted at 8:43PM on Jun 6th 2008 by Very nice