Magic Johnson Supports Charlie Sheen Amid HIV Announcement: 'I Would Love For Him To Join That Fight With Me'
"Two and a Half Men" actor Charlie Sheen found himself another friend in support in the person of former basketball player, Magic Johnson.
Days after the 50-year-old actor admitted on television that he has HIV, Johnson expressed his support and even sent Sheen well wishes amid the entire ordeal. The athlete revealed that he also has the disease in 1991.
"Well first of all, I want him to have a long life," Johnson told Entertainment Tonight exclusively. The former sports star also advised Sheen to get himself a good doctor and never skip on the medications. He further shared that, when he knew that he contracted the disease, there was only one drug that ought to help in the treatment.
"Now, there's over 30. So I think he has a really good chance of living a long, productive life," Johnson said.
Even before speaking to the publication, the former Los Angeles Lakers star had already reached out to Sheen personally via a tweet.
"I wish @CharlieSheen and his family the best," the tweet read. "With the advancement in treatments and medicine he can fight this disease and live a long life."
Aside from sending the "Anger Management" actor the best wishes for his health, the 54-year-old player also encouraged Sheen to engage in his battle against HIV stigma.
"What I want him to do after he wraps his arms around his new status, is to really join the HIV/AIDS fight, to go out and educate young people about the disease when and if he is ready," he further told the publication. "So I'm here for him. I would love for him to join that fight with me because we can do some great work out here."
According to CBS News, Johnson has been an active advocate of diminishing, if not alleviating, the stigma of having the sexually transmitted disease. For almost 24 years, it was reported that he had been the face of HIV/AIDS when he announced it for the entire world to know. Now, he still continues in his activism.
At that time when he announced having the dreaded disease, the basketball star revealed that he had been "scared to death" since a lot of people were dying due to HIV then. But what had helped him get through his physically and mentally draining condition is through meeting other people who suffers the disease as well, and together, they fostered awareness regarding the disease.
Two days ago, Sheen announced having HIV through "Today Show." While he has known that he had the disease four years since, he said that he did not know how he contracted it.
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