Salisu Ahmed, a 66-year-old Nigerian man, recently shared his journey of living with the Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) for 31 years. In an interview with reality TV star Doyin David, Ahmed revealed that he contracted the virus after his first extramarital affair.
He explained that approximately 85 to 90 percent of individuals living with HIV acquire the virus through sexual contact.
Ahmed recounted the numerous challenges he faced after his diagnosis, including the stigma and discrimination that followed. He was denied access to shared facilities, such as the bathroom and toilet in the compound where he lived.
His professional life also took a major hit, as he was asked to stop teaching at his school, where he had been employed as a teacher. On the personal front, his wife and children abandoned him, taking all their belongings and leaving him alone.
Despite these struggles, Ahmed’s story took a remarkable turn when he was cured of HIV following a stem cell transplant. The life-changing procedure was performed at the City of Hope Medical Center in the United States. The medical center released a statement confirming that after undergoing the transplant and discontinuing antiretroviral therapy, Ahmed entered remission.
He became the fourth person in the world and the oldest to achieve long-term remission from HIV. This breakthrough was made possible by receiving stem cells from a donor with a rare genetic mutation that naturally blocks HIV.
