When Charlie Sheen was first diagnosed with HIV, he immediately thought of suicide. Instead, he fought back and is now working with the FDA to help release a new drug. Going public with his condition has inspired many in the fight against HIV.
When actor Charlie Sheen was first diagnosed with HIV in 2011, his thoughts turned dark. “The day I was diagnosed, I immediately wanted to eat a bullet. But my mom was there, I wouldn’t do that in front of her, or let her find me to clean up that mess,” he said, according to ET. However, those feelings of his didn’t last long, as he says, “Something else came over me. They gave me a handful of pills and said, ‘You can go home now, and you’re going to live.’ If I was there with, you know, with brain cancer or, a stomach thing, or some meningitis, we wouldn’t be sitting here right now.”
Not Backing Down
What disease does Charlie Sheen have? He was diagnosed with HIV six years ago. HIV is a virus that targets a person’s immune system. Those who are HIV positive find it difficult to fight illnesses and other diseases. Charlie Sheen’s age is just 51 years old, but he did not open up about his condition immediately. Sheen has always been a fighter and now he is battling this disease. He is taking medication for his illness and is trying to lead a clean and healthy life.
Feeling Grateful
Photo: Mike Coppola/Getty Images
Charlie Sheen’s illness is shared by more than 1.2 million people in the United States alone, and by millions of others in the world. Sheen says that he is very “grateful” for the health care he has received since his HIV diagnosis, “I’m so grateful for what was available when it happened, and even more grateful for what’s available right now when I’m in the middle of it, you know?” In a moment of poignant honesty he admitted that, “Some days are better than others. But, but most days are pretty frickin’ cool.”
Working with Authorities
Sheen is proactive in his attitude towards his illness. Sheen is taking part in a Food and Drug Administration (FDA) study for a new HIV treatment, “I am so grateful, for eight months now, I’ve been enrolled in an FDA study … for a medication for a drug called PRO-140.” He says that the drug is in its late stages and is very close to being approved. “It’s not this hideous cocktail that, that, that leads to so many side effects and, and just, just so much disdain, you know, emotionally and physically. It’s one shot a week, and there’s no side effects,” Sheen explains.
Leading the Way
Photo: Michael Buckner/Getty Images
Sheen went public with his diagnosis in November 2015 and had opened up to people since then saying, “I feel like I’m carrying the torch, for a lot of folks out there that are suffering from the same thing.” He says that he feels “really good” at this moment in his life. So good, in fact, that he is now promoting his upcoming movie, Mad Families.
Fighting a Hard Battle
Photo: Jason Merritt / Staff / Getty Images
Mad Families follows the stories of three families are forced to spend a vacation together. According to Sheen the film is very diverse and covers a lot of demographics. Even though he has returned to acting after a four year gap, Charlie Sheen doesn’t want to call this his comeback film. Mad Families will be streamed on Crackle on January 12, 2017. We just hope that, like in his career, Sheen makes a comeback in his health, as he fights against HIV.
[etn-inline-post id=”41789″]
