As anyone in the 21st century knows, HIV/AIDS is a devastating epidemic that takes the lives of millions of men, women, and children around the world every year. With very few breakthroughs for a cure in sight, many people, especially those in third-world countries, are made to suffer with this devastating disease that is mostly contracted either against their will via rape, from being born with the disease, or just from the lack of knowledge on what people can do to prevent HIV contraction. Yet in November of 2015, we are not talking about the helpless children or rape victims suffering from this illness, but instead America is sending their sympathy to troubled actor Charlie Sheen, who admitted to Matt Lauer on the "Today Show" that he was diagnosed as HIV Positive four years earlier. Sadly, looking at his crazy past, which included tons of drug use, alcohol consumption, and many meetings with prostitutes, this diagnosis comes as no surprise to the public, rather, the most surprising thing is just how much this news matters. Why is it that America seems to pay more attention to a horrible, life-stealing illness like cancer or AIDS when a celebrity is involved, rather then pay attention to the other innocent lives involved? Well, In my opinion, the American public may be able to learn a few things from Sheen's past mistakes as well as how to bring awareness to such a devastating disease.

According to Sheen, the main reason for telling the world about his health was due to threats of extortion from people he had previously trusted with this secret. This may not seem like the best reason to admit this to the public, but it does help us keep in mind that, though he is in the public eye on a daily basis, he is just as human as the rest of us. Another interesting inquiry made by Lauer during the interview was that Sheen was most likely diagnosed around the time he left his leading role in the sitcom "Two and a Half Men," meaning that Sheen's infamous "winning" tirade may have largely been the cause of his devastation over the diagnosis. Sheen was also open about the fact that after his diagnosis, he found himself in a downward spiral of drugs and alcohol, much of the harmful lifestyle he has been running away from his entire career. The fact that Mr. Sheen is able to fully admit his past mistakes and try to tell the people that he wants to change his life for the better, is quite sobering. What these admissions say about Sheen and other celebs is that no matter how much money or how powerful you may think you are, no one is immune to diseases or other life-changing hardships in life, and everybody has to face the music and the repercussions of their past mistakes, but the best way to do that is to face it head on.

Though Sheen admitted to not knowing exactly how he contracted the HIV virus, he fully admits that he lived a dangerous life and wants people to learn from his mistakes. It seems that Charlie Sheen is now in a spotlight that even he would have never expected, the spotlight of a role model or advocate. Similar to Caitlyn Jenner's ESPY Acceptance Speech, in which she admits that she had an easier transition than most, and can use her public notoriety to be a voice for other Trans people who have faced countless more hardships in their transition, Sheen is in a position where he can use his fame to bring awareness of the disease and the other people affected by it, such as those in third-world countries with so little resources to combat the epidemic. One of the most noted quotes taken from Sheen in his "Today Show" interview was, "I have a responsibility now to better myself and to help a lot of other people, and hopefully with what we're doing today others will come forward and say, thanks Charlie."

Even though Sheen's fans have been disappointed in the actor's failure to change in the past, the truth is that the 50-year-old has nowhere else to go from here. Seeing as he already tried to drown his demons with drugs and alcohol, the only option left is to face the circumstances of this disease. By telling his story, Mr. Sheen is bring awareness to the stigmas of HIV/AIDS and try to erase the misconceptions, while also sharing ways for people with HIV to cope as well as helping those not affected by the disease in keeping themselves properly protected. Though this simple event of a celebrity telling his secret to the world may seem like a simple publicity scheme, or in this case, sympathy stunt, the future possibilities of what Charlie Sheen can bring to the fight for the cure of HIV/AIDS by telling his story could be the ones that could create an all new breakthrough for one of the most important causes in the 21st century.