The first person to be cured of HIV, Timothy Ray Brown also known as the ‘Berlin Patient’, has died from cancer, the International Aids Society (IAS) announced on Wednesday.

“On behalf of all its members… the IAS sends its condolences to Timothy’s partner, Tim, and his family and friends. We owe Timothy and his doctor, Gero Hutter, a great deal of gratitude for opening the door for scientists to explore the concept that a cure for HIV is possible,” said IAS president Adeeba Kamarulzaman.

He had been living with a recurrence of leukaemia for several months and received hospice care at his home in Palm Springs, California.

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“It is with great sadness that I announce that Timothy passed away … this afternoon surrounded by myself and friends, after a 5 month battle with leukaemia,” his partner Tim Hoeffgen said in a post on Facebook.

Brown was diagnosed with HIV when he was studying in Berlin in 1995. A decade later, he was detected with early signs of leukaemia, a cancer that affects blood cells and bone marrow. In 2008, he had a stem cell transplant using a rare blood type that is genetically resistant to HIV infection.

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It took two painful and dangerous procedures, but it was a success. Incidentally, this also turned out to be a medical breakthrough as HIV was no longer found in Timothy’s blood after the transplant.

Not only did he make medical history but he became a symbol of hope for the tens of millions of people living with the virus that causes AIDS, when he was cured more than a decade ago.

“I am living proof that there could be a cure for AIDS,” he told AFP in 2012. “It’s very wonderful, being cured of HIV.”