‘I Want To Be An Ambassador Of Hope’: Second Of Two Patients To Be Cured Of HIV Reveals His Identity
Known only as the "London Patient'' in scientific literature, Adam Castillejo wrestled going public when he was diagnosed free of HIV last March before finally deciding his story carried a powerful message of optimism.
The New York Times:
The ‘London Patient,’ Cured Of H.I.V., Reveals His Identity
A year after the “London Patient” was introduced to the world as only the second person to be cured of H.I.V., he is stepping out of the shadows to reveal his identity: He is Adam Castillejo. Six feet tall and sturdy, with long, dark hair and an easy smile, Mr. Castillejo, 40, exudes good health and cheer. But his journey to the cure has been arduous and agonizing, involving nearly a decade of grueling treatments and moments of pure despair. He wrestled with whether and when to go public, given the attention and scrutiny that might follow. Ultimately, he said, he realized that his story carried a powerful message of optimism. “This is a unique position to be in, a unique and very humbling position,” he said. “I want to be an ambassador of hope.” (Mandavilli, 3/9)
The New York Times:
The ‘London Patient’: Five Takeaways
Mr. Castillejo was found to have H.I.V. in 2003, when he was just 23. In the 1980s and ’90s, a diagnosis of H.I.V. was seen as a death sentence, and that is how Mr. Castillejo received the news. “It was a very terrifying and traumatic experience to go through,” he said. But as powerful antiretroviral drugs became available, he was able to keep his H.I.V. suppressed to undetectable levels and to live a healthy life, until 2011, when tests revealed he had cancer: Stage 4 lymphoma. (Mandavilli, 3/9)
