An Instagram model’s battle with AIDS has shaken the hip-hop community. Gena Tew revealed her decade-long battle with acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS) in a TikTok post.
In the video, Gena said she didn’t know she had AIDS until she went to a doctor after experiencing unexplained weight loss, nausea and vomiting, and extreme fatigue.
She said the doctor tested her for HIV and the test came back positive. She was diagnosed with AIDS – the advanced stage of HIV infection. Her white blood cell count was low and she had wasting syndrome, also referred to as an “AIDS-defining illness.”
Gena, 27, said she weighs just 70 pounds and is unable to walk without assistance.
The NY-based IG model and reality TV personality was once a regular at private parties thrown by Chris Brown, Nick Cannon, among others.
She said she doesn’t know who infected her with the HIV virus.
Health officials urge celebrities who may have been intimate with Gena in the past to get HIV tested.
More than 1.2 million people in the US are living with HIV. The cases are rising, particularly in San Francisco, NY and Atlanta, according to health officials.
Even though AIDS is the end stage of HIV infection, AIDS illnesses can be treated with HIV drugs, antivirals, antibiotics and antifungals.
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