The Magic Of Magic

November 7, 1991 was one of the worst days of my childhood as I then knew it. I remember walking in the house from school and my mother telling me Magic Johnson was about to retire because he had HIV. At that very instant I ran into the bathroom, burst into tears and cried like a baby. Not because Magic was retiring, but because of the death sentence that came along with the diagnosis of HIV at that day and time. In 1991 HIV simply meant you were going to die of aids, sooner rather than later. As a fourth grader I didn’t know much about HIV/AIDS or how you caught it; all I knew was that it was bad and that it would make you really sick really fast and that you would die, looking like a shell of your old self. That was all that I could think of; my basketball idol, Mr. Showtime, Magic Johnson was going to die. As we watched the press conference all I could think was that Magic is going to die. In life everybody will die, but to a kid heroes don’t die, they are invincible. This harsh reality was something that in 1991 was unavoidable. Magic reiterated during his press conference that he would fight this disease with the same winning attitude and determination that he had on the basketball court. He made it be known that he would still be here for years and that he was not going anywhere. Although he was extremely optimistic about his future battling the illness, the consensus was that we would witness the death of a beloved superstar before our very eyes. Fast-forward 20 years later and everything that Magic Johnson said has not only came to pass, but he has exceeded the expectations of everybody except himself. Two returns back to the NBA Courts (1992 &1996), and 1992 Olympic Gold Medal with the Dream Team and a stint as part owner of the Los Angeles Lakers are just a few of the many things Magic Johnson has done since he was diagnosed with HIV in 1991. He has become a spearhead for urban development across the country. From movie theaters, restaurants and coffee shops to fitness facilities Magic has used his platform to inject life and money into neglected areas of the black community. As an advocate for HIV and AIDS awareness, he has been a strong voice in the fight against HIV/AIDS and the educating of people (the black community in particular) about the causes of AIDS and the reality which is AIDS. The fact that Magic Johnson has HIV has been a driving point for the fact that anybody can get this disease. Magic realizes that his positive status drives home the seriousness of this disease, yet his status also serves as a wakeup call for people to become educated about this disease and take safety measures to prevent themselves from acquiring this disease. The past 20 years has allowed Magic Johnson the opportunity to not only be an educator and an advocate for the fight against HIV/AIDS, but this time has also enabled him to be an inspiration for those living with this disease. The fact that he has overcome HIV with the same vigor that he overcame foes on the basketball court is Magic in itself.