Mediaboss Marketing

LIFE was sweet for Michael Hebington in 1984. A waiter at some of New Yorks most glamorous venues, his busy social life included trips to night spots such as Studio 54.

But that summer he started feeling sick and a swollen gland problem wouldnt go away.

A visit to a doctor turned his life upside down. He had HIV, the virus that causes AIDS. Back then, it was seen as a death sentence.

Michael, now 61, can look back at those days and be grateful that he is still here, after living with the virus for nearly 30 years.

The Scot said: My consultant jokes with me that I might just live forever, like the Freddie Mercury song.

I have tried to find people who have lived with this as long as I have and I have never heard of anyone else who is approaching 30 years.

I dont know why I have. Its just a flip of the dice, I think.

For some odd reason, as deathly ill as I may have been at times and having been sent to hospitals and hospices, I have never yet thought this is it.

But who knows, maybe you dont ever feel like that until it really is it.

Michael, from Dumfriesshire, was caught in the eye of the early HIV storm.

Continue reading here:
HIV Awareness: Scot tells how love, luck and medical breakthroughs have helped him survive 30 years with killer virus