Nkosi Johnson

Nkosi Johnson

My hero Xolani Nkosi, now Nkosi Johnson, is my hero because he fought to live so he could tell people what AIDS really is so they can do something to prevent getting it. Nkosi was born with HIV/AIDS, passed down by his mom, and lived past the age of two. He spoke out about it and told people to help and care for people with AIDS. Nkosi Johnson was born to his mom, Nonthlanthla Daphne Nkosi, who was HIV positive. She passed along the HIV/AIDS infection to her baby Nkosi Johnson. Nkosi lived in a township that was east of Johannesburg, South Africa. Most of the time, babies die before the age of two if they have the HIV/AIDS virus, but a miracle must have happened because Nkosi Johnson lived to the age of twelve.

Nkosi was put in a crowded AIDS care center in Johannesburg when his mom was too weak to take care of him. Gail Johnson, a volunteer worker at the AIDS care center, adopted Nkosi because it was obvious that his mother was going to die. It was easy to see that Nkosi needed the love and care. Nkosi’s mother died in 1997.

Nkosi Giving A Lecture

In July 2000, Nkosi stood in front of 10,000 people and told about his life, and when he was born. “Please help people with AIDS, support them, love them, care for them.” In the same year he said the same thing to an AIDS conference in Georgia. He told them, “It is sad to see so many sick people. I wish everybody in the world could be well.” Nkosi was the longest surviving child with AIDS in South Africa. He went to the U.S. but when he came back he had a really quiet Christmas, then he collapsed on the floor. After he went to the doctors, he was diagnosed with brain damage. He had a lot of seizures but he still stayed alive and held on.

The year Nkosi started school his mother died. He went to her funeral and saw her in the coffin and when they lowered her into the ground. Nkosi was really sad, but the day of the funeral he met his dad for the first time. He never knew that he had a dad. Nkosi Johnson has been sad ever since, he always wished his mom was with him. But he understood that she was in a better place.

Nkosi and Gail always wanted to open a AIDS care center. And finally, in 2004, they opened the first out of the five they want to open. Nkosi also wanted to speak out about it. He said when he grew up he wanted to lecture people around the country so people would be careful about AIDS and respect people with AIDs. Especially not to have sexual contact with people infected with AIDS.