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Timothy Ray Brown, First Person Cured of HIV, Has Died of

Cancer
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Timothy Ray Brown, the �rst person to be cured of HIV,

died today, Tuesday, September 29, 2020. He delivered
messages of hope for the HIV community through social
media and interviews until nearly the end of his life. The
passing was announced on his Facebook page by his
partner, Tim Hoeffgen.

Timothy died after a battle with leukemia, the cancer that

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was the catalyst for a stem cell transplant in 2008 that

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cleared his body of HIV through the use of a blood donor  A LIST OF ALL
type that was genetically immune to HIV infection. Since "MFD" VIDEOS
the transplant, HIV was never found in his body again.
 Anita Mann and
Leukemia reemerged this year, leading Timothy to a cancer Acting Gigs
hospital stay for several months this spring. He was
released to hospice care two months ago. He died in his  Book Review
Palm Springs, California, home with his partner, Tim
 Family and
Hoeffgen, and close friends by his side.
Friends
Heroism is sometimes described as doing something when
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you have no other choice. You hear that all the time from
people who run into burning buildings or otherwise
 Gay Life
display courage in a moment of crisis. “I did what anyone
else would have done,” a newly minted hero will say.  Living with
Maybe. Not always. HIV/AIDS

Timothy Ray Brown did have a choice. He could have  Meth and
remained completely anonymous when he was identi�ed Recovery
only as “the Berlin Patient” in 2008, when his case as the
�rst person effectively cured of HIV was announced. It  My Fabulous
would be two years before Timothy came forward because, Disease
as he said at the time and on many occasions since, “I
don’t want to be the only one to be cured.”  News

 Prevention and
Policy

 Trump

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Timothy Ray Brown and his partner, Tim Hoeffgen, in a

2017 photo taken in Cape Town, South Africa (Facebook)

By choosing to strip himself of his privacy, Timothy

became the subject of intense interest around the world.
His disclosure put a face on the promise of an HIV cure
and elevated him to hero status in the HIV community,
while also making enormous demands on Timothy and his
partner, Tim Hoeffgen, over the last decade.

I had the pleasure of knowing Timothy Ray Brown, as well

as his partner, Tim. They are both enormously gracious
men, �lled with gratitude and humility. They have
responded to hundreds of invitations from community
groups and scienti�c researchers around the world. That
may sound glamorous, yes, but it was also exhausting.
Timothy probably said “yes” many times when he might
have said “no.”

Once it was clear that Timothy was HIV free, he became an

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advocate for pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP), the daily pill Dr. Gerald Pierone
that prevents HIV infection. Imagine, a man who endured LipoatrophyHIV.com
unimaginable physical dif�culties who then uses his very
survival to help other people avoid HIV transmission.

Making those choices, and the sel�essness that must

accompany it, is so much harder than it looks.

Rest, our good friend, and thank you. You are a hero, in
every sense of the word.

Mark

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Liz Bee
May his soul rest in peace
Like · Reply · 9w

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By Mark S. King | September 29th, 2020 | Gay Life, Living with

HIV/AIDS, My Fabulous Disease, News, Prevention and Policy | 0
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