HIV Remission Patient Shares His Story And How He ‘Never Gave Up Hope’
Image: City of Hope/Youtube
Cancer patient and HIV survivor, Paul Edmonds recently spoke up about how he “never gave up hope” and hopes his message resonates with others living with HIV.
At the age of 33, Edmond had been diagnosed with HIV in San Francisco back in 1988. And during the height of the AIDs epidemic, he cried as the obituaries of his friends were printed in his local paper, the Bay Area Reporter.
At the time, people were dying without knowing why as the nickname “gay cancer” was given to AIDS.
“People were dying within a few years of finding out they were positive. A dark cloud was over the city,” Edmonds said.
When he was given his diagnosis of not just HIV but AIDS, he began staring at what he thought was a death sentence. He spent the next 30 years taking different medications to manage HIV.
After he had been diagnosed, he didn’t have a shred of hope of living without HIV again. Until City of Hope offered him that chance.
Cancer Diagnosis
In 2018, Edmonds was diagnosed with myelodysplastic syndrome and it later turned into myeloid leukemia (AML).
In order to beat cancer, Edmonds needed a stem cell bone marrow transplant from a donor.
The medical team overseeing Edmonds had informed him that they would match with a stem cell donor who possessed the rare genetic mutation, homozygous CCR5 Delta 32.
This particular mutation allows those who possess it the ability to resist HIV. Out of the five people who have undergone this procedure in the world, Edmonds was the oldest.
Share His Story
After the procedure was successful, Edmonds initially wanted to remain anonymous but after nearly two years of living HIV-free, he wanted to tell his story.
“A big reason I want to tell my story is to bring some hope for people with HIV,” he said,
“And I want to remember all those we lost.”
Edmonds is eternally grateful for the person whose stem cell donation helped save his life.
“I’m very thankful for that wonderful person who donated those stem cells. I can’t thank him enough for what he did. He saved my life,” he said.
