Man cures himself of HIV? OMGWTFAYOoYFM - Tilted Forum Project Discussion Community

guthmund · 11-15-2005, 06:27 AM

I hope this hasn't been done already.

Found this on Slashdot while catching up this morning.

Quote:

Originally Posted by BBC News

Doctors say they want to investigate the case of a British man with HIV who apparently became clear of the virus.
Andrew Stimpson, 25, was diagnosed HIV-positive in 2002 but was found to be negative in October 2003 by Chelsea and Westminster Healthcare NHS Trust.

Mr Stimpson, from London, said he was "one of the luckiest people alive".

The trust said the tests were accurate but had been unable to confirm Scotsman Mr Stimpson's cure because he had declined to undergo further tests.

A statement from the trust said: "This is a rare and complex case. When we became aware of Mr Stimpson's HIV negative test results we offered him further tests to help us investigate and find an explanation for the different results.

"So far Mr Stimpson has declined this offer."

A trust spokeswoman added: "We urge him, for the sake of himself and the HIV community, to come in and get tested.

"If he doesn't feel that he can come to Chelsea and Westminster then he should please go to another HIV specialist."

'Miracle'

There have been anecdotal accounts before from Africa of people shaking off the HIV virus.

Mr Stimpson, who is originally from Largs in Ayrshire, said: "There are 34.9 million people with HIV globally and I am just one person who managed to control it, to survive from it and to get rid of it from my body.

"For me that is unbelievable - it is a miracle. I think I'm one of the luckiest people alive."

Mr Stimpson told the News of the World and Mail on Sunday that he became depressed and suicidal after being told he was HIV-positive but remained well and did not require medication.

Further tests

Some 14 months later he was offered another test by doctors, which came back negative.

He sought compensation but has apparently been told there is no case to answer because there was no fault with the testing procedure.

He has told the papers he would do anything he could to help find a cure.

Deborah Jack, chief executive of the National Aids Trust, said: "This appears to be a highly unusual case and without further tests it is impossible to draw any conclusions for people living with HIV.

"The virus is extremely complex and there are many unknowns about how it operates and how people's bodies react to it.

"Therefore, if this case were able to shed further light, it could be extremely valuable for research into treatments or a cure."

Vaccine clue

Aids expert Dr Patrick Dixon, from international Aids group Acet, said the case was "very, very unusual".

"I've come across many anecdotal reports of this kind of thing happening in Africa, some quite recently, but it's difficult to verify them," he told BBC News 24.

"You have to be rock-solid sure that both samples came from the same person, no mix-up in the laboratory, no mistakes in the testing, etc.

"This is the first well-documented case."

He said the case was important because "inside his immune system is perhaps a key that could allow us to develop some kind of vaccine".

First of all, the notion that people are 'shaking off' HIV is quite remarkable, in my opinion. That the body can detect, assess and then fight off something such as HIV....well, at least it gives hope, yes?

Second, who exactly does this guy think he is? He has an opportunity to do something with his insignificant little life, a chance to maybe help all kinds of people and he's 'declined' to do further tests?

Let me say, I think a person should be able to do whatever the hell they want to do with their body. Get piss drunk for 20 years, shoot up...whatever, and smoke whatever floats your boat (as long as your willing to pay the conseqences, but that's neither here nor there), but isn't there a point, especially when it could mean a better future for world, where the obligation to your 'tribe' means more than your 'right' to privacy as long as the tests are within reason? I'm certainly not advocating cutting the guy up, but what could he possibly hope to gain from refusing to participate other than being able to thumb his nose at society because he thinks he's special. "I've survived HIV and you guys didn't, nyah, nyah." If that's the case, I hope he enjoys his next life as a dung beetle.

There's a good chance it's all poppycock to begin with as there's a dozen different things that can go wrong, but...what if it isn't? I can't imagine there's a good enough reason to not partake of a few tests for a bit if it means the chance of thing good for the world.

Journeyman · 11-15-2005, 06:37 AM

Out of six billion people on the planet, 40 million being infected, odds are good that sooner or later darwin kicks in. Hopefully sooner or later someone (him or otherwise) comes forward with a cure, and hopefully the pharmaceutical industry won't try to snuff them out because cures aren't as profitable as long-term treatments.

ShaniFaye · 11-15-2005, 06:39 AM

sounds to me like he's got something to hide....I cant imagine being in his shoes, legitimately, and NOT having the tests

Redlemon · 11-15-2005, 07:18 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ShaniFaye

sounds to me like he's got something to hide....I cant imagine being in his shoes, legitimately, and NOT having the tests

Maybe he's Spider Man. According to my Sunday comics page, he's trying to hide his blood results from some doctor right now.

stevie667 · 11-15-2005, 07:42 AM

He's been tested several times before and after by several labs, the results are correct.

There are documented cases of women in africa who have cured themselves of HIV, or are naturally immune. It doesn't surpise me at all that the human body is finally getting it's lazy ass around to fighting disease like this, good for the guy!

Edit: it story is from the BBC, the best news source in the UK, if they say it's true, it's true, end of discussion.

Destrox · 11-15-2005, 07:46 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Redlemon

Maybe he's Spider Man. According to my Sunday comics page, he's trying to hide his blood results from some doctor right now.

That made me chuckle. I cant wait for the results

Onto the topic:

Really now, he has a chance to possibly help mankind and declines. I say fuck that, drug this SOB and force the tests on him if it has any slight million in one chance to possibly shed a cure for HIV.

There are some things in life that I feel your own rights dont apply to, and a chance to save many MANY lives is one of them.

d*d · 11-15-2005, 08:01 AM

Nature has a habit of coming in and showing us just how insignificant our attempts at doing it's jobs are.

Gatorade Frost · 11-15-2005, 08:03 AM

I don't believe it for a second. A man 'cures himself of HIV,' gets tested once, isn't HIV positive and he can be declared safe, but he refuses further testing, which makes me think he's full of crap and that test was a fluke.

And on the off chance thta he did de-HIV himself, he has no obligation to do what he can to save anyone else.

stevie667 · 11-15-2005, 08:46 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gatorade Frost

I don't believe it for a second. A man 'cures himself of HIV,' gets tested once, isn't HIV positive and he can be declared safe, but he refuses further testing, which makes me think he's full of crap and that test was a fluke.

And on the off chance thta he did de-HIV himself, he has no obligation to do what he can to save anyone else.

He got tested multiple times, hence the 's' on the end of 'test'.

Your right about the no-obligation thing though, if i were in his shoes, i'd much rather prefer to wait until all the hoo-ha had died down before i started giving more tests, the guy wants his privacy no doubt.

Gatorade Frost · 11-15-2005, 08:47 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by stevie667

He got tested multiple times, hence the 's' on the end of 'test'.

Your right about the no-obligation thing though, if i were in his shoes, i'd much rather prefer to wait until all the hoo-ha had died down before i started giving more tests, the guy wants his privacy no doubt.

Hm... I apparently misread that. I thought he was tested once, celebrated, then went on his merry way.

highthief · 11-15-2005, 09:14 AM

It is highly suspect that he is refusing to undergo more testing given what is potentially at stake. I understand there may be some litigation going on between him and either the lab or the national Health in the UK? Possibly he was a false "positive" initially?

snowy · 11-15-2005, 09:24 AM

He was only tested once for the negative--the article clearly states that:

Quote:

Some 14 months later he was offered another test by doctors, which came back negative.

When it says "tests" in the article, it's referring to his original HIV test which came back positive and the secondary test--the man has refused any tests beyond that single negative.

What piqued my interest was that this story appeared roughly two and a half years after his negative test. Hmm...Why now? Oh, this is why now (taken from an article in the Guardian:

Quote:

Campaigners are annoyed that having not yet undergone the vital tests, Mr Stimpson nevertheless signed contracts with the News of The World and the Mail on Sunday, both of which published his claims yesterday.

I should note that the News of the World and the Mail on Sunday are both well-known British tabloids.

The full text of the Guardian article can be found here: http://www.guardian.co.uk/aids/story...html?gusrc=rss

And, finally, the article from the News of the World:

Quote:

A BRITISH man has become the first HIV sufferer in the world to be CURED of the killer virus, we can reveal.

In a sensational development that will bring hope to millions dying of Aids, 25-year-old Andrew Stimpson has miraculously tested NEGATIVE for the disease after having it for more than a year.

The results so dumbfounded doctors they repeated the test TWICE because they couldn't believe it — but they could find no trace of HIV in his blood.

They have labelled Andrew's case "medically remarkable". And a spokeswoman for Aids charity the Terence Higgins Trust said: "Nobody has ever spontaneously cleared themselves of HIV.

"It's the statistical equivalent of going to the moon without a spaceship. HIV researchers will be jumping up and down about this."

Now sandwich maker Andrew is to offer himself for medical tests to unlock the secret in his body that has killed off a virus responsible for wiping out 20 million people worldwide since 1981.

"I feel truly special and lucky," he said. "All the doctors have told me it is a medical miracle that I am clear.

"I remember after the repeat tests my doctor came into the room saying, ‘You've cured yourself! This is unbelievable, You're fantastic!'"

"It's important for me to help with research because it can be a big step forward towards a cure for everyone."

Weak

Gay Andrew, from Largs, Ayrshire, caught the virus from his HIV-positive boyfriend Juan.

In May, 2002, worried that he was feeling tired, weak and feverish, he had three blood tests at the Victoria Clinic for Sexual Health in west London, which specialises in HIV.

At first they were all negative — but Andrew was told the virus takes three months to show up in the blood after contraction.

And when he returned for more tests in August, this time they found HIV anti-bodies that proved it was lurking in his body.

He said: "The doctor had said I could live for 10 years, 20 years, maybe 40 years. But I felt instinctively that I would die young.

"I had just turned 22 but after the diagnosis my energy for life was completely lost."

Andrew shared his terrible secret with only two people—his boyfriend and his 20-year-old sister Louise.

Andrew added: "One thing I decided early on was that I never wanted to see the HIV through to Aids." Andrew even began planning his suicide in case he developed full-blown Aids.

Praying

Even though he knew the odds were stacked against him, Andrew began taking a daily cocktail of supplements in a bid to keep as healthy as possible.

Because he was in the early stages — with a low HIV count in his blood — he did not need medication.

"I kept praying for someone to come on the news to announce a remedy. I was praying for some miracle to happen."

And just over a year after Andrew's first diagnosis, it did. Every two months he was going for blood tests and checks on his liver, heart and immune system.

Doctors were astonished at his continuing excellent health, unusual for an HIV sufferer.

So in October 2003 he was offered a repeat HIV test — and the result came back negative.

"I was baffled," said Andrew. "I couldn't understand how anyone could cure themselves of HIV.

"I'd read the research, I knew it had never happened before. I didn't understand how I could be negative after one year especially because I had been having unprotected sex with my partner after the diagnosis, believing we had nothing to lose."

Andrew was convinced there must have been a mistake — not daring to let himself believe the miracle he had prayed for had happened. He was tested again twice and again the results were negative.

Andrew still can't believe what has happened. "I was told for an HIV result to turn from positive into negative is one in a million, billion, trillion chance," he said.

"My life's gone from one extreme to the other. Now all my dreams are back. I'm not religious, but I feel blessed."

Lisa Power, from the Terence Higgins Trust, said: "If Andrew has been cleared of the virus, that needs to be investigated thoroughly to see if it can be reproduced in any way.

"This could be of major interest to HIV researchers. We need to find out precisely what's happened with this person."

taken from: http://www.newsoftheworld.co.uk/stor...ws/news3.shtml

Sultana · 11-15-2005, 11:34 AM

I have to say I remain skeptical. Expect the worst, hope for the best.

BBtB · 11-15-2005, 04:40 PM

Well the case is obviously real though fishy. I personally can see his logic going to the tabloids instead of the paper (tabloids are known for paying you for your story where as a legit paper.. wont). That said if he insists on making this claim I think he should be seized by .. someone (goverment, scientist, angry mob) and forced to undergo tests, if he did in fact fight of aids naturally and without any medical help as is the claim he is not "lucky" he has devolped the first steps towards a true aid vaccine. That said I will just say, I doubt it. Not that I don't think a cure for aids is out there and probably inside someone just in this way... but the facts around this case is just to fishy.

genuinegirly · 11-15-2005, 06:21 PM

Onesnowyowl thanks for doing some research on the rest of the story. I'd be more prone to thinking there's something wrong with our tests for HIV before I'd believe this guy has just shaken it off.

Siege · 11-15-2005, 07:54 PM

I can generally understand people's view that "this guy should be forced to do tests" or something to that extent, but are we all forgetting that this is HIS blood? Yes, it would save millions, I am quite aware of that. However, it is his choice. Your blood *points finger to every poster here* can save someone else's life. Do you donate blood?

ChistledStone · 11-15-2005, 08:58 PM

Unfortunately, like many, I'm skeptical. We don't know for sure. Maybe he is taking a drug which he hasn't informed the doctors about and is masking his HIV, or maybe the FIRST test was a false positive, or maybe even just by dumb luck the .001% chance that he got lucky - and that both tests were screwed.

But someone mentioned it could be natural selection. We can hope, but HIV isn't that widespread problem so it probably isn't.

healer · 11-16-2005, 01:00 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Siege

Your blood *points finger to every poster here* can save someone else's life. Do you donate blood?

Uh-huh. *shows off National Blood Donor card*

I agree that what he does with his blood is his choice. And if he chooses to keep it in his veins then that is his prerogative totally.

Can we take away one man's freedom of choice because there's a (very slight) chance that he can help provide a cure for a worldwide epidemic?

stevie667 · 11-16-2005, 04:58 AM

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main...14/naids14.xml

'Cured' HIV man turns down more tests
By Nic Fleming, Science Correspondent
(Filed: 14/11/2005)

Doctors and scientists have urged a man reported to be the first to be cured of the HIV virus to come forward for further tests.

Andrew Stimpson, 25, was diagnosed as HIV-positive in August 2002, but tests carried out last year came back as antibody negative.

An investigation carried out by Chelsea and Westminster NHS trust found that both sets of tests were correct.

If true it would make Mr Stimpson the first known person to defeat the Aids virus and could potentially prove invaluable for researchers seeking a vaccine.

Mr Stimpson, a former hairdresser from Largs in Ayrshire who lives in London, told a Sunday newspaper: "I can't help wondering if I hold the cure for Aids. It is scary and confusing but makes me feel very special."

However some scientists were sceptical about the reports and a spokesman for Chelsea and Westminster Hospital said he had declined to come forward for more detailed tests.

Prof Jonathan Weber from the division of medicine at Imperial College, London, said: "There have been false reports of this phenomenon before. Very rarely a blood test can be falsely positive."

A spokesman for the NHS trust said: "We urge him, for the sake of himself and the HIV community, to come in and get tested."

thats from the telegraph website, for all you non-believers. Seems like anyone who isn't British is calling foul play, not that i'm saying you shouldn't, but jeez, lighten up people.

guthmund · 11-16-2005, 06:21 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Siege

I can generally understand people's view that "this guy should be forced to do tests" or something to that extent, but are we all forgetting that this is HIS blood? Yes, it would save millions, I am quite aware of that. However, it is his choice. Your blood *points finger to every poster here* can save someone else's life. Do you donate blood?

If I choose not to donate blood (I do, but let us say...), then there are hundreds , if not thousands of others readily available and willing to take up the slack. If this guy refuses to take a few tests (just to verify what he says happened, mind you) then there is no one...no one readily available to take his spot. Needs of the many and all that, no?

They're not asking this guy to sacrifice himself to save mankind, it's "let's run a couple of tests to see if you aren't full of shit." It's a little discomfort. If this guy isn't willing to be a little uncomfortable for the possibility of helping to cure this horrible, horrible disease, then I don't want him as a member of my fraternity, so to speak. He is a waste of skin.

Sultana · 11-16-2005, 07:28 AM

I do think that it has a high probability to go from "a few tests, a little blood" to him being virtually imprisoned and them draining his blood as fast as he can produce it...I mean, I'm not a believer of conspiracy theories and all, but I don't think this option is unlikely. It could be that he's afraid to open that door...if he hasn't thought of this, then he's naive.

Siege · 11-16-2005, 08:32 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sultana

I do think that it has a high probability to go from "a few tests, a little blood" to him being virtually imprisoned and them draining his blood as fast as he can produce it...I mean, I'm not a believer of conspiracy theories and all, but I don't think this option is unlikely. It could be that he's afraid to open that door...if he hasn't thought of this, then he's naive.

Perhaps not as extreme, but I believe this scenario is quite likely.

Healer: Looks like i'm not the only one out here.

Guthmund: That's the problem, people thinking that others can fill in. I'm not sure about where you live, but in Canada, according to the CBS, there is a shortage on certain types of blood.

highthief · 11-16-2005, 09:30 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Siege

Your blood *points finger to every poster here* can save someone else's life. Do you donate blood?

They (the government) took the choice away from me, having spent too much time in Europe eating potentially mad cows!

They won't take my blood on the 1/10,000,000 chance I might have eaten bad steak.

guthmund · 11-16-2005, 10:40 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Siege

Guthmund: That's the problem, people thinking that others can fill in. I'm not sure about where you live, but in Canada, according to the CBS, there is a shortage on certain types of blood.

Oh, I agree, but that's an entirely different conversation, in my opinion. The system doesn't rest on my singular shoulders. I am one of many.

The fact is this guy is an anomaly (assuming what he says is true). He's unique, special, and has the potential to do a great, great thing for his fellow man. I completely understand his reservations (again, assuming he's telling the truth), but really, are you serious? People survive cancer, right? I don't hear any stories about them being shoved into black vans and spirited off to secret medical detention centers were they are poked and prodded for all eternity. This guy has an even better chance of avoiding such a malicious (albeit, probably imaginary) fate as his story is already as public as it is.

How often does one man get to influence Humankind's course of events? Why in the world wouldn't you volunteer to help out...unless, of course, you had something to hide.

dlish · 11-16-2005, 12:24 PM

i rekon he didnt have HIV in the first place

stevie667 · 11-16-2005, 01:04 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dlishsguy

i rekon he didnt have HIV in the first place

He did, he had three different tests saying so.

Slyboots · 11-16-2005, 01:09 PM

I wouldn't blame the guy if he didn't want to take anymore test. He has taken a ton before the whole getting cured, could you just imagine how many more they would have to do on him to figure out whats happend to him to get cured? I mean there are certain limites a person would take to get themselves over a sickness. Wouldn't you want to be left alone after it was all gone? My feelings towards is are very mixed. I mean I would want him to put himself through the new test to figure out what science can do to help outs. YOu know, for the horde! Then again I feel where the guy is coming from. For all we know he may have done some things that would show up in his blood work that could be illegal. I wouln't be surprised if that was case. Or this could just be darwins theory in play. We might never know.

feelgood · 11-16-2005, 01:17 PM

Another fine case of whether or not the rights of one man outweighs the rights of the many.

Carno · 11-16-2005, 01:20 PM

Fuck that shit. He's a free man, he can do what he wants. He would be an asshole if he didn't have more tests done though.

Bunch of fuckin fascists in this thread.

skier · 11-16-2005, 03:45 PM

I think he's fucking scared.

He got a negative test, and felt the elation, the worries drop away. No way in hell he wants to go back again and relive his nightmare. He's scared it was a faulty test, and he really is HIV+ or even have AIDS after all.

flat5 · 11-16-2005, 04:04 PM

So who makes the tests? A drug company?

I would not get involved until setting something up with a good lawyer. If I'm unique and somebody is going to make lots of money I want it to be me.

He should not just jump into this. He needs to protect himself and his interests.

Xiomar · 11-19-2005, 10:54 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Carn

Fuck that shit. He's a free man, he can do what he wants. He would be an asshole if he didn't have more tests done though.

Bunch of fuckin fascists in this thread.

Little extreme, sweetheart.
Take a pill, have a drink... relax.

DonovanDuVal · 11-24-2005, 11:37 AM

I read an interview with this guy in the daily Mirror (tabloid fodder) talking about his exploits. I think that the reason in the gaps between him being told that he was in fact clear and now are that at first he assumed that there was a mix up in the original test. This then went to the GMC (general medical council) and eventually court, for a review of procedures, which determined that he was in fact tested correctly and that the positive HIV result stood. The main reason that he thought that he had AIDS was that he caught it from his gay lover who was previously diagnosed. After the initial positive he dispensed with the safe sex feeling that it was now pointless. So I guess I can imagine that to then find you weren't HIV after all, would make you think that there was a problem with the service side of things. I don’t know for sure but I suspect that the case went to court when he was seeking out compensation, which I can’t say that I blame him for. Perhaps the selling of the story to the tabloids was to cover legal fees?

As far as the topic of a fishy story, I think that the most likely thing here (if it is not true) would be a cover up. This could be by the health authority to try and stop dead any claims of compensation that may arise, although I am assuming that has been checked through carefully.

In the article that I read he was well and truly up for being the savior of mankind. Ready to bleed like JC on the cross for all of mankind was the way that it came across. Actually this is the only thing that got my nerves about the guy. Doctors and scientists will be the ones that actually put his freaky blood into a good use, effectively all he has to do is give a bit of blood. Maybe my standards are unrealistically high, but I don't think that this warrants the status of savior just yet.

DonovanDuVal · 11-29-2005, 07:23 AM

As an update I saw an interview on the TV with this guy yesterday and those of you that doubt his commitment to being our one true saviour can heave a sigh of relief; he begins medical testing next week. I think that they should hook him up to a beagle chain smokin' machine and see if he's immune to lung cancer as well.

Seriously though he didn't come off nearly as badly as he did in the newspaper. Not that I think TV is a beacon of absolute truth, but he was quite cool about the whole thing. That'll learn me to let my cynical guard down when reading the rag that is the Mirror.

11-15-2005, 06:39 AM	#3 (permalink)
ShaniFaye Submit to me, you know you want to Location: Lilburn, Ga	sounds to me like he's got something to hide....I cant imagine being in his shoes, legitimately, and NOT having the tests __________________ *I want the diabetic plan that comes with rollover carbs. I dont like the unused one expiring at midnite!!*

11-15-2005, 07:42 AM	#5 (permalink)
stevie667 Too Awesome for Aardvarks Location: Angloland	He's been tested several times before and after by several labs, the results are correct. There are documented cases of women in africa who have cured themselves of HIV, or are naturally immune. It doesn't surpise me at all that the human body is finally getting it's lazy ass around to fighting disease like this, good for the guy! Edit: it story is from the BBC, the best news source in the UK, if they say it's true, it's true, end of discussion. __________________ Office hours have changed. Please call during office hours for more information.

11-15-2005, 08:03 AM	#8 (permalink)
Gatorade Frost Rookie	I don't believe it for a second. A man 'cures himself of HIV,' gets tested once, isn't HIV positive and he can be declared safe, but he refuses further testing, which makes me think he's full of crap and that test was a fluke. And on the off chance thta he did de-HIV himself, he has no obligation to do what he can to save anyone else. __________________ I got in a fight one time with a really big guy, and he said, "I'm going to mop the floor with your face." I said, "You'll be sorry." He said, "Oh, yeah? Why?" I said, "Well, you won't be able to get into the corners very well." Emo Philips

11-15-2005, 09:14 AM	#11 (permalink)
highthief Junkie Location: Ontario, Canada	It is highly suspect that he is refusing to undergo more testing given what is potentially at stake. I understand there may be some litigation going on between him and either the lab or the national Health in the UK? Possibly he was a false "positive" initially? __________________ Si vis pacem parabellum. Last edited by highthief; 11-15-2005 at 09:17 AM..

11-15-2005, 11:34 AM	#13 (permalink)
Sultana Falling Angel Location: L.A. L.A. land	I have to say I remain skeptical. Expect the worst, hope for the best. __________________ "Love is a snowmobile racing across the tundra and then suddenly it flips over, pinning you underneath. At night, the ice weasels come." - Matt Groening My goal? To fulfill my potential.

11-15-2005, 06:37 AM	#2 (permalink)
Journeyman Like John Goodman, but not. Location: SFBA, California	Out of six billion people on the planet, 40 million being infected, odds are good that sooner or later darwin kicks in. Hopefully sooner or later someone (him or otherwise) comes forward with a cure, and hopefully the pharmaceutical industry won't try to snuff them out because cures aren't as profitable as long-term treatments.

11-15-2005, 08:01 AM	#7 (permalink)
d*d Addict	Nature has a habit of coming in and showing us just how insignificant our attempts at doing it's jobs are.

11-15-2005, 04:40 PM	#14 (permalink)
BBtB ClerkMan! Location: Tulsa, Ok.	Well the case is obviously real though fishy. I personally can see his logic going to the tabloids instead of the paper (tabloids are known for paying you for your story where as a legit paper.. wont). That said if he insists on making this claim I think he should be seized by .. someone (goverment, scientist, angry mob) and forced to undergo tests, if he did in fact fight of aids naturally and without any medical help as is the claim he is not "lucky" he has devolped the first steps towards a true aid vaccine. That said I will just say, I doubt it. Not that I don't think a cure for aids is out there and probably inside someone just in this way... but the facts around this case is just to fishy. __________________ Meridae'n once played "death" at a game of chess that lasted for over two years. He finally beat death in a best 34 out of 67 match. At that time he could ask for any one thing and he could wish for the hope of all mankind... he looked death right in the eye and said ... "I would like about three fiddy"

11-15-2005, 06:21 PM	#15 (permalink)
genuinegirly Eat your vegetables Super Moderator Location: Arabidopsis-ville	Onesnowyowl thanks for doing some research on the rest of the story. I'd be more prone to thinking there's something wrong with our tests for HIV before I'd believe this guy has just shaken it off. __________________ "Sometimes I have to remember that things are brought to me for a reason, either for my own lessons or for the benefit of others." Cynthetiq "violence is no more or less real than non-violence." roachboy

11-15-2005, 07:54 PM	#16 (permalink)
Siege is a tiger Location: Toronto, Ontario, Canada	I can generally understand people's view that "this guy should be forced to do tests" or something to that extent, but are we all forgetting that this is HIS blood? Yes, it would save millions, I am quite aware of that. However, it is his choice. Your blood points finger to every poster here can save someone else's life. Do you donate blood? __________________ "Your name's Geek? Do you know the origin of the term? A geek is someone who bites the heads off chickens at a circus. I would never let you suck my dick with a name like Geek" --Kevin Smith This part just makes my posts easier to find

11-15-2005, 08:58 PM	#17 (permalink)
ChistledStone Crazy Location: Australia	Unfortunately, like many, I'm skeptical. We don't know for sure. Maybe he is taking a drug which he hasn't informed the doctors about and is masking his HIV, or maybe the FIRST test was a false positive, or maybe even just by dumb luck the .001% chance that he got lucky - and that both tests were screwed. But someone mentioned it could be natural selection. We can hope, but HIV isn't that widespread problem so it probably isn't. __________________ A.minor.fall.then.a.major.lift

11-16-2005, 04:58 AM	#19 (permalink)
stevie667 Too Awesome for Aardvarks Location: Angloland	http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main...14/naids14.xml 'Cured' HIV man turns down more tests By Nic Fleming, Science Correspondent (Filed: 14/11/2005) Doctors and scientists have urged a man reported to be the first to be cured of the HIV virus to come forward for further tests. Andrew Stimpson, 25, was diagnosed as HIV-positive in August 2002, but tests carried out last year came back as antibody negative. An investigation carried out by Chelsea and Westminster NHS trust found that both sets of tests were correct. If true it would make Mr Stimpson the first known person to defeat the Aids virus and could potentially prove invaluable for researchers seeking a vaccine. Mr Stimpson, a former hairdresser from Largs in Ayrshire who lives in London, told a Sunday newspaper: "I can't help wondering if I hold the cure for Aids. It is scary and confusing but makes me feel very special." However some scientists were sceptical about the reports and a spokesman for Chelsea and Westminster Hospital said he had declined to come forward for more detailed tests. Prof Jonathan Weber from the division of medicine at Imperial College, London, said: "There have been false reports of this phenomenon before. Very rarely a blood test can be falsely positive." A spokesman for the NHS trust said: "We urge him, for the sake of himself and the HIV community, to come in and get tested." thats from the telegraph website, for all you non-believers. Seems like anyone who isn't British is calling foul play, not that i'm saying you shouldn't, but jeez, lighten up people. __________________ Office hours have changed. Please call during office hours for more information.

11-16-2005, 07:28 AM	#21 (permalink)
Sultana Falling Angel Location: L.A. L.A. land	I do think that it has a high probability to go from "a few tests, a little blood" to him being virtually imprisoned and them draining his blood as fast as he can produce it...I mean, I'm not a believer of conspiracy theories and all, but I don't think this option is unlikely. It could be that he's afraid to open that door...if he hasn't thought of this, then he's naive. __________________ "Love is a snowmobile racing across the tundra and then suddenly it flips over, pinning you underneath. At night, the ice weasels come." - Matt Groening My goal? To fulfill my potential.

11-16-2005, 12:24 PM	#25 (permalink)
dlish Currently sour but formerly Dlishs Super Moderator Location: Australia/UAE	i rekon he didnt have HIV in the first place __________________ An injustice anywhere, is an injustice everywhere I always sign my facebook comments with ()()===========(}. Does that make me gay? - Filthy

11-16-2005, 01:09 PM	#27 (permalink)
Slyboots Tilted Location: Newbury Park, California	I wouldn't blame the guy if he didn't want to take anymore test. He has taken a ton before the whole getting cured, could you just imagine how many more they would have to do on him to figure out whats happend to him to get cured? I mean there are certain limites a person would take to get themselves over a sickness. Wouldn't you want to be left alone after it was all gone? My feelings towards is are very mixed. I mean I would want him to put himself through the new test to figure out what science can do to help outs. YOu know, for the horde! Then again I feel where the guy is coming from. For all we know he may have done some things that would show up in his blood work that could be illegal. I wouln't be surprised if that was case. Or this could just be darwins theory in play. We might never know. __________________ "Ah, yes, divorce......., from the Latin word meaning to rip out a man's genitals through his wallet." -- Robin Williams

11-16-2005, 01:17 PM	#28 (permalink)
feelgood Free Mars! Location: I dunno, there's white people around me saying "eh" all the time	Another fine case of whether or not the rights of one man outweighs the rights of the many. __________________ Looking out the window, that's an act of war. Staring at my shoes, that's an act of war. Committing an act of war? Oh you better believe that's an act of war

11-16-2005, 01:20 PM	#29 (permalink)
Carno Junkie	Fuck that shit. He's a free man, he can do what he wants. He would be an asshole if he didn't have more tests done though. Bunch of fuckin fascists in this thread. __________________ http://how-to-spell-ridiculous.com/

11-16-2005, 03:45 PM	#30 (permalink)
skier Rawr! Location: Edmontania	I think he's fucking scared. He got a negative test, and felt the elation, the worries drop away. No way in hell he wants to go back again and relive his nightmare. He's scared it was a faulty test, and he really is HIV+ or even have AIDS after all. __________________ "Asking a bomb squad if an old bomb is still "real" is not the best thing to do if you want to save it." - denim

11-16-2005, 04:04 PM	#31 (permalink)
flat5 Very Insignificant Pawn Location: Amsterdam, NL	So who makes the tests? A drug company? I would not get involved until setting something up with a good lawyer. If I'm unique and somebody is going to make lots of money I want it to be me. He should not just jump into this. He needs to protect himself and his interests.

11-24-2005, 11:37 AM	#33 (permalink)
DonovanDuVal Crazy Location: UK	I read an interview with this guy in the daily Mirror (tabloid fodder) talking about his exploits. I think that the reason in the gaps between him being told that he was in fact clear and now are that at first he assumed that there was a mix up in the original test. This then went to the GMC (general medical council) and eventually court, for a review of procedures, which determined that he was in fact tested correctly and that the positive HIV result stood. The main reason that he thought that he had AIDS was that he caught it from his gay lover who was previously diagnosed. After the initial positive he dispensed with the safe sex feeling that it was now pointless. So I guess I can imagine that to then find you weren't HIV after all, would make you think that there was a problem with the service side of things. I don’t know for sure but I suspect that the case went to court when he was seeking out compensation, which I can’t say that I blame him for. Perhaps the selling of the story to the tabloids was to cover legal fees? As far as the topic of a fishy story, I think that the most likely thing here (if it is not true) would be a cover up. This could be by the health authority to try and stop dead any claims of compensation that may arise, although I am assuming that has been checked through carefully. In the article that I read he was well and truly up for being the savior of mankind. Ready to bleed like JC on the cross for all of mankind was the way that it came across. Actually this is the only thing that got my nerves about the guy. Doctors and scientists will be the ones that actually put his freaky blood into a good use, effectively all he has to do is give a bit of blood. Maybe my standards are unrealistically high, but I don't think that this warrants the status of savior just yet. __________________ "I've been Donovan DuVal. Take care of yourselves, and each other."

11-29-2005, 07:23 AM	#34 (permalink)
DonovanDuVal Crazy Location: UK	As an update I saw an interview on the TV with this guy yesterday and those of you that doubt his commitment to being our one true saviour can heave a sigh of relief; he begins medical testing next week. I think that they should hook him up to a beagle chain smokin' machine and see if he's immune to lung cancer as well. Seriously though he didn't come off nearly as badly as he did in the newspaper. Not that I think TV is a beacon of absolute truth, but he was quite cool about the whole thing. That'll learn me to let my cynical guard down when reading the rag that is the Mirror. __________________ "I've been Donovan DuVal. Take care of yourselves, and each other."