After decades living with HIV, a miracle has occurred for Paul Edmonds, making him one of only five people in the world to be completely cured of HIV through stem cell transplantation.
In September 1988, a resident doctor at San Francisco General Hospital informed Paul Edmonds that he was HIV positive. Worse still, the virus had ravaged his immune system and progressed to AIDS.
At that time, Edmonds was just 33 years old. Witnessing many friends with HIV succumb in mere months, he believed he would die within 1-2 years, perhaps even sooner.
However, unlike most others, Edmonds celebrated his 40th, 50th, and eventually 60th birthdays. An extraordinary event occurred: he became one of only five people in the world to successfully undergo a stem cell transplant from a donor with a rare genetic mutation that made his body resistant to HIV.
In 2021, Edmonds stopped taking the medications he had relied on for half his life. The 67-year-old man is now free from HIV and leukemia.
Ahmed Aribi, one of the doctors who treated him at City of Hope, noted that due to the risks associated with stem cell transplantation, the treatment method that cured Mr. Edmonds remains extremely rare, applicable only to patients suffering from both HIV and cancer.
The insights gained from a small number of stem cell transplant patients could unlock secrets about HIV, offering hope for new treatments or vaccines against the disease.
Joseph Alvarnas, a professor at City of Hope, stated that currently, thousands of Americans have lived with HIV for many years, even decades.
While Mr. Edmonds’ story is unique, these developments symbolize the long journey of America’s fight against HIV, a journey that has shifted from near despair to hope, according to the Washington Post.
Finding a Ray of Optimism Amidst Illness
When it first emerged, the HIV/AIDS crisis spread rapidly, with alarming death tolls. Scientists were in a race to identify the origins and find ways to halt this wave. Fear and misinformation proliferated, stigmatizing those infected and fueling conspiracy theories.
This was a time that Edmonds and his partner, Arnie House, who also had HIV, remember vividly.
In 1976, at the age of 21, Edmonds came out to his family and friends as gay. That same year, he moved from Atlanta to San Francisco, witnessing a “breathtaking transformation.” Gay men flocked to San Francisco, and he found it easy to make friends.
Four years later, many people he knew began to fall ill and die, but initially, no one understood the cause. By 1988, Edmonds was tested and learned he was HIV positive.
One of the first things he did was inform his mother. He also did not plan for his funeral, except to outline what he did not want on that day.
There were times when Edmonds allowed himself to imagine death. However, he focused on living and tried to dispel feelings of despair.
Edmonds tried dozens of medications, including experimental drugs. The physical pain mostly stemmed from the side effects of the medications rather than from AIDS itself. He felt both sad and angry that “we were not getting the help we needed.”
Mr. Edmonds has been cured of HIV after more than 30 years of battling illness through stem cell transplantation. (Photo: Washington Post).
On the night of February 23, 1992, Edmonds visited a bar and met Arnie House, a former member of the U.S. Air Force. During their conversation, Edmonds disclosed his HIV status.
“I accepted it. I was enamored with him,” House said.
Shortly after their first meeting, Edmonds convinced House to get tested for HIV. By this time, treatments for HIV and the outlook for patients had improved. The results showed that House was also HIV positive.
The two cared for each other. When one fell ill, the other was still healthy enough to help. They made wills together, went for check-ups, and researched what they learned from doctors, exploring healthy diets and exercise, as well as the pros and cons of various medications.
Edmonds also returned to his passion for painting. The two spent hours creating oil paintings together. He emerged from his darkest times, favoring bright colors like blue, hot pink, and lime green.
As the years went by, the two men realized that for them, HIV was not a death sentence but a fact of life. Edmonds’ 40th birthday party was larger than his 35th. At 50, he threw a big party, hiring a jazz band and inviting 100 people. In 2014, Edmonds and House, then 58 and 57 years old, officially wed.
From Despair to Hope
In August 2018, during a routine HIV check-up, doctors discovered that Edmonds had myelodysplastic syndrome.
At City of Hope, doctors said the syndrome had progressed to acute myeloid leukemia, a type of blood and bone marrow cancer. To treat the cancer, he needed a blood stem cell transplant—a procedure with a 10-20% risk of mortality.
However, if doctors could find a suitable donor, he could be cured of both HIV and leukemia. They searched for a rare mutation known as CCR5 Delta 32, which appears in only 1-2% of the population.
A nurse handing out red ribbons to mark World AIDS Day at the entrance of Emilio Ribas Hospital in São Paulo. (Photo: Reuters).
The transplant was too risky if Edmonds were only HIV positive. But this procedure was recommended for leukemia, providing him and his doctors a rare opportunity. The transplant had been performed on many other HIV patients, but had only been successful four times.
On February 6, 2019, the 20-30 minute transplant procedure went smoothly. Edmonds surpassed the critical 100-day mark, the period when complications are most likely to develop.
He stopped taking HIV medications on March 6, 2021.
Although not suitable for most patients, the stem cell treatment has exposed vulnerabilities of HIV, allowing scientists to continue exploring for years to come if gene editing is proven safe in humans.
Researchers are very interested in Mr. Edmonds. During this time, Edmonds visits and assists the sick and elderly. He also shares his own story.
“I feel grateful. Somehow, I’m still alive after everything,” he said.
