Magic Johnson has credited AIDS
activist Elizabeth Glaser and early HIV detection for saving his
life.
The 52-year-old Johnson announced in
1991 that he had tested positive for HIV, the virus which causes
AIDS, and that he would retire from the NBA immediately.
Appearing Monday on ABC's The View,
Johnson credited early detection and Glaser, who founded the
Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation, for saving his life.
“Early detection actually saved my
life and a then there was a woman, Elizabeth Glaser, who was dying of
AIDS at that time, who actually blessed me with the knowledge of what
I would have to go through,” Johnson told the women sitting on the
show's sofa.
“And she said, 'Look, you're going to
have to be the face of this disease. And she helped myself, and then
she helped my wife Cookie. Because my wife Cookie was having a
problem not understanding what it meant for me, if I'm going to be
here for a long time.”
He added that he would have kept
playing basketball “If I knew what I know today.”
“Back then, had one drug, now they
have 30 drugs. So that's why we urge people to go get tested.
Because early detection can actually save your life. I work out
every day. And also a positive attitude about it.” (The video is
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