I’m not much into coincidence. All of these took place in a 10-day period:
*CBS Sunday Morning recently noted a milepost: it was 21 years ago when Magic Johnson told Los Angeles basketball fans: ‘I’m coming back to the Lakers and I’m playing again.’
“It was a dramatic reversal from the announcement he had made the previous November, one that had stunned people in the sports world and beyond: ”Because of the HIV virus that I have obtained, I will have to retire from the Lakers.'”
*I got this e-mail: Healthline recently partnered with the Timothy Ray Brown Foundation (TRBF) to launch “You’ve Got This” – a video campaign that encourages HIV patients to give hope and advice to the recently diagnosed. For every video created, Healthline will donate $10 to the TRBF towards finding a cure. Initial participants include Jack Mackenroth, Olympian Ji Wallace, Paul Lekakis, Josh Robbins, and Kevin Maloney.
We would love it if you could help us spread the word about the campaign by sharing with your friends, followers, and/or posting to your website or blog. For more information, please visit www.healthline.com/health/hiv-aids/youve-got-this or https://www.facebook.com/TheNewFaceofHIV.
I asked how long the videos would be accepted: “Currently, it is an open project – there isn’t a specific deadline. We plan to run it for at least a year.”
Admittedly, I was unfamiliar with Timothy Ray Brown. He is the Berlin Patient, who, some claim, has been cured of HIV. It may only be that he has a genetic mutation specific to him, but gene therapy may be a pathway to a real cure. The foundation does not claim that this is the sole path, so I am providing the links above.
*I happened across a television ad with singer Alicia Keys, teaming up with Greater Than AIDS, on the Empowered project, to reach women about HIV/AIDS awareness, since 1 in 4 people with AIDS are women.
*I had signed up for Blog Action Day, without really knowing what I wanted to write about in the area of Human Rights. Suddenly, addressing the still prevalent HIV/AIDS epidemic spoke to me. I think it’s a human rights issue.
If you should decide to participate in Blog Action Day, sign up at the website. Then go on your favorite social media sites and write, “I’ve just posted my #BlogActionDay post on #HumanRights on [yourwebsitelink] – take a look & leave a comment #BAD13. Tweet to them at @blogactionday. “Follow the live coverage on October 16, on blogactionday.org and our social media profiles to find out about other participant posts. If you like someone’s Blog Action Day post why not leave a comment and share it via social networks.”