Timothy Ray Brown, who inspired millions of HIV-positive people, died of leukemia
In 2007, Mr Brown, also known as “the Berlin patient,” received a bone marrow transplant from an HIV-resistant donor.
It meant he didn’t need anti-viral drugs anymore, and he was free of the virus that can lead to Aids for the rest of his life.
Mr Brown, according to the International Aids Society, gave the world hope that an HIV cure was possible.
Born in the US, Mr. Brown, 54, received his HIV diagnosis in 1995 while residing in Berlin. Then, in 2007, he was diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia, a form of blood cancer.
He underwent a bone marrow transplant after having his bone marrow, which was producing the cancerous cells, destroyed.
The donor for the transplant had a rare mutation in the CCR5 gene, a region of their DNA.
HIV resistance
A set of genetic instructions called CCR5 is used to construct the entrance that the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) uses to enter cells.
People who have mutations to CCR5 are essentially immune to HIV.
In 2012, Mr. Brown told the BBC that he stopped taking his medication on the day of his transplant and that after three months, his body was HIV-free.
Never again was the virus found in his body. In actuality, he was “cured”.
“I was excited about it, but I still kind of feared it might come back, but it didn’t,” he continued.
But earlier in year 2020, the leukemia that was the cause of his HIV cure came back and spread to his brain and spinal cord.
Tim Hoeffgen, Timothy’s partner, wrote on Facebook, “It is with great sadness that I announce that Timothy passed away… surrounded by myself and friends, after a five-month battle with leukaemia.
“I’m heartbroken that my hero is gone,” Hoeffgen wrote. “Tim was truly the sweetest person in the world. Tim’s spirit will live on and the love and support from family and friends will help me through this most difficult time.”
Tim dedicated his life to sharing his experience with an HIV cure, becoming a symbol of hope, he continued.
Closer to a cure?
Mr. Brown’s cure was too risky and aggressive to be applied frequently; it is still primarily used to treat cancer. The 38 million people who are believed to be HIV-positive, many of whom reside in sub-Saharan Africa, cannot afford the strategy.
However, Mr. Brown’s tale gave hope that a cure might one day be discovered to researchers, patients, and the general public.
The International Aids Society (IAS) expressed “a profoundly heavy heart” in its statement of mourning.
The IAS president, Prof. Adeeba Kamarulzaman, said, “We owe Timothy and his doctor, Gero Hutter, a great deal of gratitude for opening the door for scientists to explore the idea that a cure for HIV is possible.”
It was announced earlier that year that a second HIV patient had been cured. Adam Castillejo, also known as the “London patient,” received comparable treatment to Mr. Brown and was able to stop taking HIV medications.
Prof. Sharon Lewin, the director of the Doherty Institute in Melbourne, Australia, stated that although the cases of Timothy and Adam do not represent a viable large-scale strategy for a cure, they do represent a crucial point in the search for an HIV cure.
Timothy was a strong supporter of keeping HIV research on the political and scientific agenda.
“The scientific community hopes that one day we can honor his legacy with a safe, affordable, and widely accessible approach to HIV remission and cure using gene editing or techniques that boost immune control,” reads a statement from the scientific community.
Brown’s success inspired HIV cure research
Dr. Hans-Peter Kiem, who holds the Stephanus Family Endowed Chair for Cell and Gene Therapy at Fred Hutch, got to know and respect Brown through his role as co-founder of defeatHIV. He attributes him with accelerating the National Institutes of Health’s Martin Delaney Collaboratories program’s funding of HIV cure research.
“The NIH started this HIV cure effort ten years ago thanks to Timothy. How many people he has directly or indirectly aided is astounding, Kiem said.
In November 2020, Kiem spoke at a TEDx event in Seattle, where he discussed how Timothy Ray Brown has influenced his quest to treat HIV through the eventual administration of “gene therapy in a syringe.”
Brown was the only person on Earth known to have defeated the virus for a dozen years despite numerous attempts to replicate his treatment. He sincerely hoped he wasn’t the only one.
Then, on March 4, 2019, it was determined that a “London Patient” was probably cured through a similar stem cell transplant. A year later, he identified himself as Adam Castillejo, a 40-year-old Venezuelan immigrant working as a sous chef in London. In 2016, he had undergone a single stem cell transplant.
Castillejo and Brown had spoken on the phone, but they had never actually met.
Elvita Adams jumps from the Empire State Building and amazingly survived
Elvita Adams once tried to commit suicide by jumping off the empire state building. She Jumped from the 86th floor but was blown back to 85th floor by a strong gust of wind.
24-year-old burglar beaten by retired boxer victim
A 24-year-old knife-wielding burglar attempted to get into the home of a 72-year-old senior in Oxford, England, in 2009, but was left battered, bruised, and pinned to the ground. Frank Corti, the elderly, turned out to be a former boxing champion.
The rescuing hug - the touching story of twins Brielle and Kyrie Jackson
Brielle and Kyrie Jackson’s lifesaving hug was captured when Brielle was struggling to breathe and going blue. As a final option, the nurse deviated from protocol and placed them in the same incubator. Kyrie wrapped her arm around her sister, who immediately began to stabilize
The fearless Annie Lee Cooper
Annie Lee Cooper was fired in 1963 after attempting to register to vote. She attempted it once more in 1965, but the sheriff ordered her to leave after prodding her in the neck with a club. She then punched him, causing him to fall to the ground. She was imprisoned before ultimately registering to vote. Following the passage of the Voting Rights Act, the sheriff was ousted and subsequently imprisoned for collaborating to transport drugs, but Annie Lee Cooper lived to reach 100 years old and bears her name to this day.
Troy Leon Gregg: the death row inmate murdered the same night he escaped
In July 1980, Troy Leon Gregg escaped from Georgia State Prison the night before his execution. However, he was killed in a fight in a bar just a few hours later.
New York installs first offshore wind turbine to power 70,000 homes
New York State has achieved a historic milestone in its clean energy transition by installing the first wind turbine at its first offshore wind farm, South Fork Win.
chand baori stepwell in Rajasthan India, Ancient cooling technique
This Chand Baori stepwell in Rajasthan, India is over 1200 years old. It’s called Chand Baori. The air at the bottom of the well is 5-6 degrees cooler than at the surface, so in addition to being a water source, it was used as a community gathering place where locals could escape the heat.
Longest burning light bulb, The centennial light bulb in livermore, California
The world's longest lasting light bulb holds the Guinness World Record, and has been illuminating local fire stations in Livermore, California since 1901, the year Queen Victoria died.
Before Hollywood, Christopher Walken Was a Teenage Lion Tamer with a Lioness Named Sheba
Before acting, Christopher Walken worked as a lion tamer in a circus at age 16. He performed with a lioness named Sheba and described the job as surprisingly calm—just another day before Hollywood stardom.
Who invented the three-point seat belt?
While employed by Volvo in 1959, Swidish engineer Nils Bohlin created the three-point safety belt. Volvo first had the design patented, but soon as they discovered its importance as a new safety measure, they made the patent open to everyone. Millions of lives were genuinely spared by Volvo’s gift to the world.
The incredible story of a plane that lost its roof in mid-flight and the light signal that saved 94 lives.
On April 28, 1988, Aloha Airlines flight 243 was on the way to Honolulu from Hilo when a huge portion of the upper part of the fuselage blew off the airplane.
JBJ Soul Kitchen: Bon Jovi's community restaurant
JBJ Soul Kitchen is a community restaurant by Jon Bon Jovi with no prices on the menu; customers donate to pay for their meals. If you are unable to donate you may do volunteer work in exchange for your family’s meal.
A U.S. Submarine Collides with a Japanese Fishing Ship in 2001
In 1998, 14-year-old Michael Crowe was charged with the murder of his sister. The police started targeting him after he seemed “distant and preoccupied” when his sister’s body was discovered, and during interrogation, police coercion led him to make a false confession. He was later declared factually innocent and the family won a lawsuit of $7.25 million in 2011.
Self-taught William Kamkwamba built a windmill for his town
A Malawian teenager who taught himself how to build a windmill out of junk and bring power to his village. He then went on to build a second, larger windmill to power irrigation pumps. He did this all from books he read in the library.
Photos: This man sold everything 45 years ago to buy a bike and travel 6,000 miles from India to Sweden to see his love.
An Indian man traveled from India to Sweden on a bicycle to meet his Swedish wife in 1978. The journey took him 4 months and through eight countries.
The Crystal Maiden of the Actun Tunichil Muknal Cave
Located in Belize, there is a cave where the remnants of ancient Maya human sacrifices can be witnessed. However, reaching the back of the cave system requires swimming, wading through a cave river, and crawling through narrow, uneven rocky passages in darkness. Once there, visitors can walk among the numerous corpses of sacrifice victims, including The Crystal Maiden, an 18-year-old whose skeleton has become calcified to the point of sparkling.
People are freaked out because they keep finding 'help me' messages under the cap of Sobe bottles
With their bottle caps that said, "Help me, I'm trapped in SoBe factory," SoBe Beverage discovered the hard way that forced labor is serious business. This is an example of when humor can be overdone.
Why Is the N Lowercase in 7-Eleven?
7-ELEVEN is thought to have a lowercase "n" in its logo because the company president's wife believed that a logo with all caps would seem harsh, while a lowercase "n" would make it more graceful.
The Man Who Kept a “Gold” Rock for Years—Only to Discover It Was a 4.6-Billion-Year-Old Meteorite Worth a Fortune
A man cherished a heavy 17-kilogram rock for years, believing it to be solid gold. The surprising twist? Experts later revealed it was a rare, 4.6-billion-year-old iron meteorite—an ancient cosmic relic worth far more than gold. Dive into the fascinating story of this celestial treasure and what makes it so valuable.
Abraham Crijnssen – The Ship That Disguised Itself As An Island
During World War II a Dutch minesweeper evaded the Japanese for eight days disguised as an island. The crew covered the decks in cut trees and painted exposed surfaces to look like rocks. They moved only at night and anchored closed to shore by day, eventually escaping to Australia.
The Inspiring Journey of Francis Tsai, Marvel Comics artist diagnosed with ALS
Francis Tsai, an American illustrator and conceptual artist who worked for Marvel Comics, was diagnosed with ALS in 2010. After he lost the ability to move his hands and arms, he started painting digitally on his cellphone with his right big toe. After he could not move his feet anymore, he began using eye-gaze technology to keep drawing.
Morgan’s Wonderland, the world’s first ultra-accessible amusement park
Gordon Hartman was heartbroken when his special needs daughter, Morgan, was rejected by a group of children playing by the hotel poolside. He then set out to build a place where all children can play together. This led to the development of the world’s first ultra-accessible amusement park, Morgan’s Wonderland
Inspiring story of Emma Schols who Saved Her Six Kids From A Burning House
Emma Schols, a Swedish mother, saved all six of her children from a devastating house fire in 2019, running from room to room through flames while bleeding and losing skin. Against all odds, she survived with severe burns covering 90% of her body.
Woman had no idea she had an identical twin until she saw a 'lookalike' on YouTube
When Anais Bordier saw a YouTube video of Samantha Futerman, who looked exactly like her, she messaged her on Facebook and discovered they were both adopted and born on the same day. They were identical twins who had been separated at birth and had found each other by chance and on social media.
Woman survives skydiving accident, discovers she's pregnant
2005, a woman performing her first solo skydive jump survived a parachute malfunction which caused her to slam face first into a parking lot at 50 MPH. During surgery doctors discovered she was pregnant. She made a full recovery and the baby was fine.
