After 4 years of dealing with his condition in silence in top of those who was taking advantage of the situation and mistruths, Charlie Sheen has finally spoken.
In his exclusive interview with Today; Sheen admitted that he has been diagnosed with HIV (no, he does not have AIDS) about four years ago. He opened up to some of his closest friends but instead of getting the support he needed, such admission led to extortion that affected his bank account. The actor said he spent about $10 million to keep the illness a secret. What affected the actor more is that these people belonged deep in his inner circle.
"I have to put a stop to this onslaught, this barrage of attacks and of sub-truths and very harmful and mercurial stories that are about me, threatening the health of so many others that couldn't be further from the truth," he said.
During Charlie Sheen's announcement, he clarified that he did not know how he contracted the virus and insisted that he knowingly transmitted the disease to others. He also denied the idea that he was engaged in high-risk behaviors.
According to his doctor, Sheen takes his pills everyday and although they are petrified that he might be too overly depressed and might forget his medication but the actor has been vigilant about it.
Sheen also informed his daughter and he's all praise with her strength. 'I'm sorry I didn't tell you sooner, but it didn't seem like you could do anything for me and I didn't want to burden you with all the stress.' But she was a rock star about it," Sheen added.
Meanwhile, an expert said, in a report done by People, to clarify some issue about the disease, "It's not like 10 or 15 years ago when [those who were infected] were taking mouthfuls of pills that made them feel more horrible than the disease," says Karen Dykes, an infectious disease nurse practitioner and educator with 10 years experience working with HIV/AIDS patients. "Most people on HIV treatment are taking one to two pills a day. There are multiple medications in those pills but that's the reality of it. They're living 30, 40 years, there's literally no timetable with how long you're going to live with an HIV diagnosis now as long as you're in care."
Charlie Sheen is grateful for the positive support he's getting and he hopes to at least minimize the stigma about HIV and he assured that he would not shun away from responsibilities to help others.
His career my also take a positive turn again has he has been negotiating with Sony for a possible TV show. The actor also added that he has 'a couple of films lined up'.