Louganis said advances in treatment were a 'double-edged sword'
Olympic diver Greg Louganis has said at the time of his diagnoses with HIV in 1988 he believed he would not live to the age of 30.
He told Piers Morgan on CNN that at the time, HIV was thought of “as a death sentence”.
Louganis, who won four gold and one silver medal at the Olympics over his career,
He said: “So my doctor, and who was also my cousin, he was treating me and he said, the best thing you can do is continue training.
“And so it’s much more positive to focus on the diving. So that’s what I did. And it was really a blessing. But honestly, I didn’t think I’d see 30.”
But he warned that progress in the treatment of HIV was was a “double edged sword”.
He added that “now young kids are seeing us, and they’re saying, well, they’re alive, thriving and all that. But I wouldn’t wish my drug regimen on anyone [...] I mean the things that I’ve been through, you know, are pretty devastating.”
Louganis replied: “It’s not quite as many. They’ve combined a lot of the medications. You know, for the cocktails and all. So I take my meds in the morning and the evening and go about the business of living.”
On the controversy surrounding Chick-fil-A’s donations to anti-gay groups, he said: “I’m not real political, you know, but I know what’s right. You know, what’s right for me. And, you know, equal rights for everybody. The Chick-fil-A — who eats that stuff?
“You know? Really. I mean, who eats that stuff. I mean, you know, I kind of like my arteries. You know? I like the blood flowing.”
Morgan said: “You shouldn’t be going to Chick-fil-A just on health grounds. Never mind the views about same-sex marriage, right?”
Louganis replied: “Yes. Exactly. Exactly.”
The full interview will air tonight on CNN International at 11pm BST.
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