“Lemons, make lemonade out of them because there is never ever going to be an adversity so huge that you can’t overcome, Bill Aaron said.
The diagnoses of full blown AIDS was discovered November 5th 1996 when he was hospitalized for a thrush fungal infection which took a third of his body weight.
The infection left him weak and unable to eat and drink much for a month
Doctors said he would never walk again let alone see his 40th birthday which was only in seven months from the date he was diagnosed. His physicians also figured he had the virus for at least a decade before symptoms occurred.
“It dawned on me that I had a second chance I’d seen 40 and I was walking again,” Aaron said.
Aaron was determined and refused to let AIDS cripple his life.
Soon after diagnoses he took a fitness class here at City College. This is where he crossed paths with cross country coach Paul Greer who recruited him.
His doctor disagreed with reason, Aaron was a 2 pack a day smoker and had no background in exercise.
His first marathon was run in six hours and twelve minutes and his best time was three hours and thirty-one minutes.
As his running matured Aaron realized that smoking was only defeating his hard work. So with the help of a nicotine patch, in four weeks his addiction ended the Christmas of 1997.
“I now had replaced smoking with something that meant a lot more to me, running shoes,” Aaron said.
He received an associates degree at City College and a Bachelors’ at San Diego State University.
“Every time I did one of those things another door would open because by being a cross country athlete I had to be a full-time student,” Aaron said.
Aaron currently coaches the cross country and track team at Kearny High School and holds the president position for the San Diego Track Club.
“Bill is not shy about his illness and his problems he’s about everybody else, the team the camaraderie what he can contribute and what he has contributed,” his former city college coach said.