fifth particular person known to transfer into remission from HIV shares his story for 1st time

The fifth person known to ever go into remission from HIV is sharing his story for the first time Paul Edmonds sat down with our Juju Chang in an ABC News exclusive interview detailing how he got here and the obstacles he had to overcome what was it like sort of walking into the history books I'm really happy I'm.

Able to come out and tell my story for Paul Edmonds the journey started after coming out as gay the Small Town Georgia Boy moving to San Francisco soon after it was very exciting I just had never experienced anything like this by the early 80s a dark cloud moved over the Gay Liberation movement what did people call it okay cancer.

It was quite as scary no one really knew what was happening gay men Across America died by the thousands of aids-related illnesses the fear and stigma palpable in the beginning it was like a curse people were afraid of each other I wasn't ready to be tested because I kind of felt like that's going to mean a.

Distance in 1988 he finally got tested positive for HIV but the clouds lifted a bit in 1992 when Paul fell for an Airman Arnie house we met in San Francisco I was at a happy hour Paul walked in and I saw him I immediately knew that I had to talk to him and so I went over to him and whispered in his ear I said uh I Want to.

Know You Paul convincing Arnie to be tested and he too was HIV positive but better anti-retrovirals brought both of their HIV levels to undetectable which equals untransmittable the two married but another diagnosis was looming in 2018 Paul learned he had leukemia you'd been living with HIV for 30 years right at that point and so what.

Was your gut reaction what was your immediate reaction my immediate reaction was you know I feel like my heart just sinks what kept you going that positive attitude I wasn't ready to die after chemo he was offered a bone marrow transplant as a permanent cure for the leukemia plus a possible added bonus his bone marrow donor would be resistant to.

HIV infection a rare mutation that could put Paul into HIV remission it's a very rare mutation it exists in roughly one percent of the population so it's not something we find very commonly what was that like hearing the news that this moonshot was even possible yeah that's incredible the chemo for the transplant grueling the outcome.

Spectacular the leukemia remained in remission that was like the best news I had ever heard and Paul became the fifth person ever to go into remission from HIV now four years after the transplant two years after going off his HIV meds we can't find evidence of replicating HIV in his system it's been really amazing it's been such a journey I was.

Incredibly grateful I was grateful to be alive I was grateful there was a donor very very grateful and JuJu joins me live now for more on this should you how's Paul doing not just physically but mentally after such a roller coaster it's amazing you know I said you must have trauma after all this and he said indeed he does but you saw.

The Gratitude there right he's feeling great he's emotionally strong and you know he had a little bit of a raspy voice because he had a little upper respiratory thing but he's really strong and he feels like himself again what does this mean for the future because this is kind of a unique circumstance that applied to Paul does this pave the.

Way for a cure down the line for others I think that doctors are incredibly cautious to use the word cure and AIDS and yet they understand that five years of remission is a cure in this instance doctors say we have more practical ways to get to a non-hiv world which is to get tested because when you get tested.

It's easily manageable and it's not transmissible but for this particular moonshot as we called it we need more donors because the more donors that be the match has the more chance they can find that needle in the haystack and they went on and on to praise Robin Roberts about how her role of raising awareness for donors will help save.

Lives it literally gave me goosebumps pimples as they were telling me about it and I'm sure Robin wasn't thinking about this when she started all her work with be the match but I know I signed up because of hers did I sometimes it's all just takes one little Domino and I will say it's really important in communities of color because it you know they're.

Underserved in so many ways and even in the areas of donors you know it's such a great story so happy for Paul I'm glad you could bring the story to us to do thank you me too always happy to see you

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