# I Somehow Survived the Darkest Years of AIDS

An episode of [What It Was Like](https://invisiblenetwork.ai/podcast/1614354774), 19 Jul 2026, 1 h 12 min.

Audio: https://sphinx.acast.com/p/open/s/6200ee776bcd50001215d4e7/e/6a5c9e82f782764c4ced05d9/media.mp3

AIDS devastated America's gay communities through the 1980s. In major cities, up to 50% of gay men were living with the virus, with the median survival rate after diagnosis just 11 months. Mark S. King lived through it all. After moving to Los Angeles in 1981, he watched an entire generation of friends disappear. In this conversation, he reflects on his own HIV diagnosis and miraculous survival, and what those years taught him about life and love. Check out more of Mark’s work on his blog, spanning four decades of essays: My Fabulous Disease Follow him on Instagram: mark.s.king Find us on TikTok: @whatitwaslikepodcast Find us on Youtube: @whatitwaslikepodcast Follow us on Instagram: whatitwaslikepodcast This is a Superreal production Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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