“Philadelphia” Extra Still Living With HIV After 19 Years

In 1993, 15 years ago, the movie “Philadelphia” was released. Director Jonathan Demme wanted the film, which was the first big production to deal with AIDS, to reflect reality, so he cast dozens of people with HIV/AIDS in the movie, mainly as extras. Sadly, most of these extras died within a year of the movie’s release, but there is at least one who is still alive. Sue Kehler, 44, found out 19 years ago that she was infected with HIV. Amazingly, Kehler doesn’t look sick and has never gotten AIDS, meaning her body’s T-cell count has never dropped below 200, so it’s possible she’ll live to be an old woman. [Philadelphia Inquirer]