As of 2018, there are about 37 million people living with HIV, one of those people is a 99-year-old man living in Lisbon Portugal. Researchers have dubbed him The Lisbon Patient. The man has decided to keep his identification for fear of being stigmatized but the public, so I will call him Miguel. Miguel is faithful with his medical appointment and HIV medications. In 2004 at the age of 84 Miguel had trouble breathing and was rushed to the hospital, there doctors found that he had an HIV related cancer. The doctors were able to treat his cancer and now I believe Miguel is cancer free but was diagnosed with HIV. He is now the oldest living patient with HIV. The doctor believes he has been HIV positive 25 years before his diagnosis, through heterosexual sex. Meaning at around the age 60 he was infected with HIV. Doctors are now studying his blood to unlock some of the mysteries of HIV. He has some vision and hearing loss but hey that old age for you, and not HIV.
Justin B. Terry-Smith has been involved in LGBTQ and HIV Activism since 1999. He is an Air Force 9/11 Disabled Vet. Raised in Silver Spring, MD, he now lives in Albuequerque, New Meixco with his husband Phil. He writes an HIV/STI Advice Column for A&U Magazine, is a Contributing writer for thebody.com, a Life Coach and an Adjunct Professor. He has earned his Doctorate in Public Health with a concentration in Infectious Disease and his Masters in Clinical Mental Health Counseling.
