I'm Oprah Winfrey. Welcome to Super Soul Conversations, the podcast. I believe that one of

the most valuable gifts you can give yourself is time, taking time to be more fully present.

Your journey to become more inspired and connected to the deeper world around us starts right

now.

Mike Johnson announced his HIV diagnosis on November 7, 1991, just two months after cookie

and magic were married. That year, AIDS had become the number one cause of death for men

between the ages of 25 and 44. 157,000 people had died from what doctors considered an AIDS

epidemic.

At the time, Magic Johnson was one of the most famous athletes in the world, having won

five NBA championships with the LA Lakers. Magic's press conference remains one of the most

unforgettable moments in sports history. In an instant, Cookie's life was turned upside

down in front of the entire world. In private, she was brought to her knees. For the first

time, Cookie is telling her story in her new book, Believing in Magic. I just want to remind

the world that in 1991, people were still very, very afraid of AIDS. It was still like you

can't touch a person, hug a person.

That time, it was a really scary time because the people had just started hearing about AIDS.

And it's funny because they heard AIDS, but they never heard about HIV. HIV is the virus

that causes AIDS.

You just go straight to its AIDS and death.

So it was a scary time for us. It was a scary time for a lot of people.

And then your husband, Irvin Magic Johnson, sort of became, not sort of, became the face

for what was possible. I mean, I have to say that when that announcement, we all remember

...