Former tennis star says he has AIDS virus
jArthur Ashe says he got
AIDS from a blood transfu
sion during surgery
Ni:\V YORK (AP) Arthur Ash.'. the
first him k mull to win on.' of tennis
(irand Shim tournaments, said Wednes
cfav he flail AIDS Ashe said he lonlruit
e.i it from a blood transfusion during,
heart liyfwtss surgery
Ashe, 4B. said he tested positive for
HIV three years ago when lie underwent
(train surgery hut del ided to annoum.e it
now after a newspaper received .1 lip
about his . ondition There also had been
rumors for some time that fie fiad the
condition
Tlie virus has suite turned Into full
blown AIDS. Ashe said
"I’m not HIV positive I have AIDS.
Ashe said
Ashe said to have c nine forward earlier
with the news could have hurt him and
fils family
It put me in the unenviable position
to have to tie to maintain mv privet \
It Is onlv that I fall under the .■dubious
umbrella of public figure he said
I didn’t commit tins crime l ain not
running for public ufTlt e In said I
should reserve the right !« k.s-p some
thing like that private
At a midlonn rums i onleieiu e atl. nd
ed hv his vsth Jeanne, physn uttis and
NI vs 'tors May. 1 David Dink : s \sju
opened by lokiiig that he had turned
.i iwi an offei 1 ■■ jiomagi the \ew S :s
Yankee •
Hill after starting to re,id ,1 prepared
statement. Ashe broke down ,in<l had to
be assisted with the presentation bv Ins
wife
After regaining his mrnposure. Ashe
said tie was healthy and ius family had
shown no signs of the virus
"1 am not siik I can function very
well And I plan to continue doing those
things that I have done all along, if the
puhlii will let me," Ashe said "Nlv wife
and daughter are in good health and laith
an- HIV negative "
Ashe also said fie had taken strength
Iroin another sports star hasketfia 11
great Magu Johnson, who atmouru ed
last November that he had tested positive
for the AIDS virus
I have also gained much insight as
! ve watt find Ivarvtn Johnson weave Ills
magu among s< hooli hildren." he said
l ike johnson Ashe said he would
work with AIDS groups
I think vs e have a tremendous oppor
limits I educate the public and hope
fully tiring a heightened sense of urgent \
It i I he sublet t, he said
Ashe -aid In was 100 pen ent sun
that he had contracted the virus from a
Idnod transfusion probably tit his . md
(liar! operation a double bypass m
1 Mil i, aftr-r seiundheartiilt.uk
was 1H months too soon for H:\
testing it! I,loot) supplies, tie said Sire t
1 'ItiS .t. 1 blood supplies have been
s< ret hed lor the AIDS virus
Both the bvpas
irupie bypass in :
‘Having been an athlete,
I had the discipline to
adjust quickly to the new
reality
Arthur Ashe
Si Luke s Hospital in New York Ashe
saul lx* did not plan to file suit
Asha siiid he had re< eivod a very nil e
phone tall" from President George Hush
and planned to become Involved with
the Presidential Commission on AIDS
"ut some stage."
Ashe also talked with Virginia Gov L
Douglas Wilder, a childhood friend from
Richmond
In 1'tftH. Ashe said, ho went to doctors
after my right hand went dead I could
not use it at all There was a brain st an
and it was not good
Surgery was done, and a biopsy re
vealed toxoplasmosis, which Ashe said
w as a marker for AIDS
I have known sini e mv brain opera
lion in 1HHH that I have the virus, he
said Am admission of HIV infection at
ttv.it time would have seriously and per
manently infringed upon our family's
right to prtvui \
Asia said he had act opted the dlugno
sis i! i was indergmng treatment with
lie anti AIDS drug A/.'I
Hav ing been an uthleti I had the dis
new reatl
Iv 1 was very fortunate to tolerate A/.'! ."
ho said
Ashe s.mi friends, family and assrx i
ales who know atmut ins condition had
kepi a Mient and generous conspiracy to
maintain mv privacy
Bui Iasi w eek, lie said. M .call to f.VA
Today by an unidentified person
( hanged all that
"Sometime last week someone phoned
USA 7’of/av and informed the paper," he
said
in response to questions, Ashe said he
was not angry at the paper but was upset
that he found himself in a position of
having to reveal his se< ret
"Someone just called and ratted on me
and [USA Today) felt journalistically
they had to follovs It up." he said
Some 1,770 AIDS cases in the United
States have been attributed to blood
transfusions, about 2 percent of the total
Almost all those infections occurred be
fore the nation's blood supply liegan be
ing screened for the HIV virus m 1 <)Hr>
Ashe helped gel South Africa banned
from the Day is Cup because of the; na
tion's apartheid policies in Mari h 107(1
Ashe said African American athletes
should Use tlleir sports Slid ess to pro
mole i iv 11 rights causes and took a lead
ing role, addressing the United Nations
Commission on Human Rights
Ashe scorer) his greatest triumph m
11175 when lie i hanged his game and de
iealed the seemingly invini ibie Jimmy
Connors to capture Wimbledon
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Doctor uncertain how
Ashe picked up AIDS
MAI :Kl'-NV\( :k , N 1 (At’}
] he doctor wht) performed tin1
iiiMrt surgery in which Arthur
A silt- believes in got tin* AIDS
virus s ,n d W r d nrsil ,i v ii c
doesn't know Iniw tin* former
tennis star got tin- d(sense
l)r John i Muir hinson said
he ii.ni not reviewed tile medj
i.il rei ords from Ashe's heart
bypass surgeries in 107') and
t'tHt at St Luke's Hospital in
New York City and was not
sure whether blood or blood
products were used 111 either
surgery He said only the hospi
tal t ouid answer that
A spokesperson from St
Lukes Hospital did not mime
dlately return a telephone (all
lelt U i due- lav evening !>v I lie
\ssoi cited I’tess
Speaking at a news confer
encr in New York. Astir said
lie was 10(1 percent sure that
tie hud contracted the virus
from a blood transfusion, pro!)
ably at Ins second hoar! opera
lion in 1W8 t
Mull hinson. dim tor of i anil
,ii surgery at Hai kensai k Mrdl
(ill ( enter since 1 OHS held tile
same po- l at St l ake s when
Ashe had Ins surgeries
in Mr Ashe's situation, it is
possible hr received blood or
blood produr ts. Mult hinson
said In all proiiahilitv. ussuin
lllg he did. |Ust because some
one lias cardiat surgery doesn't
mean that's how tie acquired
tills
Hutchinson s.i id nobody
thought to si reen blood lor
AIDS in 1U7') ins ause the virus
was unknown He said it was a
minimal concern in lWt and
only smi i Imh'i has blood been
m reened for the AIDS virus
Hull lonson said In- has hud
lvv :i p.itn*nts ninlnii I the AIDS
virus m his .'0 years us ,i cardi
•ii surgeon He did not stale
linvv they acquired the v tries
Dr I’eter l.ross. head of de
|iarlinent of medit me and in
lei tiotls diseases at Hal kensa k
Medical Center, said Ins cad
league could not he blamed
I don't think the i ardiuc - t
gism would lx- to blame ther or
reiw (,ross said
Hutchinson said he had
heard rumors that Ashe had tfu
virus hut nothing official until
Ashes unm nine emerit Wedue
d.iv tfiat he has AII IS
Ashe had a double bypass m
fait and a quadruplet bypass in
l'tru Both surgeries were I1IH
essary Mule hmson said
' Sped I H u 11 y as I rot oil. I
think with his anatomy, the
i I line es of living Id years prof)
ally W 1 add hay e been eyti erne
ly lnyy hue! he not had the surgi
cal 1 n te r y ent ion h e fia d
Hull hmson sahi
flute hmson true keei Ashe s
progress for a year or two after
the second operation hut saicf
Ashes cardiologist has moni
tored film sine e
I think like many people in
America. I admired Mr Ashe
immensely for his accomplish
merits in sports ' flute hmson
said 1 thought he was a gen
tlem.in arid the type of person
I'd like to see yy ill I v\ as proud
to see him win and proud lor
what I had done for him as a
surgeon
iv;: pgol d
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