Man thrives despite being injected with HIV by father allegedly to avoid child support

A man from Missouri has managed to live a relatively full life for the past 24 years even though his father deliberately infected him with the HIVvirus when he was an infant.

According to a BBC profile of the young man, Brryan Jackson was conceived in 1991 when his parents were being trained at a military location.

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The pair had a rocky and often abusive relationship; despite some initial excitement over the baby, the father, named Brian Stewart, returned from Operation Desert Storm and reportedly began questioning the child's paternity.

The Independent notes that when the baby was 11 months old, Stewart, who tested blood for a living, knowingly injected him with a sample tainted by the HIV virus.

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His now-grown son is quoted as saying, "He was hoping I would die off so he wouldn't have to pay child support."

Jackson's health began to decline soon after, and he was diagnosed with "full-blown AIDS."

Stewart was eventually convicted of first-degree assault and sentenced to life in prison.

Jackson, who is now 25, is thriving with good health and spends time advocating for those with HIV and other serious diseases.