On this date in 1991, Magic Johnson announced his retirement from the Los Angeles Lakers due to his contracting the HIV Virus.

The HIV Virus which is a precursor to AIDS has taken too many of my friends.  I give thanks every day that I am healthy and that the virus never touched me in a personal way.

I have seen the horrors the virus takes on a life and during the 80’s and 90’s too many people suffered.  Thankfully for those affected today, the HIV Virus is no longer a death sentence but a disease that can be managed.

Magic Johnson is a testament to living with the virus and what medications do.

I remember my friends, those gone too soon.