LOS ANGELES - It’s been 30 years since former Los Angeles Lakers basketball star Earvin "Magic" Johnson shocked the world and publicly disclosed he was diagnosed with HIV."God has really blessed me!" the 62-year-old tweeted Sunday. "Today marks 30 years living with HIV so the message resonated with me in such a tremendous way.
I thank the Lord for keeping me, giving me strength, and guiding me for 62 years but especially the last 30.""Through it all I learned to trust in Jesus and I learned to trust in God!" he continued.
HIV stands for human immunodeficiency virus. According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, it weakens a person’s immune system by destroying important cells that fight disease and infection.