HIV. Three letters that can end a life. It's a disease that we all fear whether consciously or not. We all have a moment of holding our breaths when the results of a blood test comes back. It's normal. We, as humans, are ultimately all heading towards the same fate. We're just coming in from different directions....
But as the saying goes, where there is dark there must be light. The frenzy about HIV has calmed significantly over the past couple of decades. However, that does not mean that there aren't those who suffer from it everyday. For Timothy Ray Brown of the San Francisco area, that was his life just a few years ago. He was living in Berlin, Germany when he received an experimental treatment that made him "functionally cured" of his disease.
The treatment came from a bone marrow stem cell transplant from a compatible donor. These stem cells were immune to HIV which is said to have been passed down from the black plague years. About one percent of Caucasians are immune.
The stem cells helped Brown's white cells to become immune themselves. Doctors aren't entirely sure yet what part of the treatment took care of the HIV in Brown's body, but they are hoping that it will be a field of study that can lead to further miracles.
Imagine a loved one, a family member, a spouse, who suffers from such a terrible disease being able to say "I am cured of HIV." It's the type of hopeful event that we wish our lives could be filled with everyday. You better watch out cancer. You may just be next.
Written by: Jordan
Source: CBSNews.com
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