Sorry for your loss..It can change like the wind, and it depends on many factors. In "GENERAL" -- Being diagnosed with HIV in 2002 is not the same as 1982, or 1992, or even 1998. We have learned so much and still have discovered so little. Being diagnosed now does not promise a long life, but what is known is quite basic. Disease progression is based on factors such as Co-exsisting infections and conditions/disease, the strain of HIV he contracted, his medication cocktail and how he responds (resistance), previous immune system, and how well he "takes care of himself" -- There are MANY who were diagnosed 22 years ago in the start of of the epidemic who are alive, well, fit, and with no signs of slowing down, most of these people will live a full life span and die of natural causes (like a car accident, lol) -- Being diagnosed now exposes us to new treatments. The only firm treatment in slowing the disease was made avaliable in 1996, the protease era. Late this year and early next year open the door to new treatments... Your friend may of had an agressive strain of HIV with faster progression to AIDS, or he may of not taken his pills on a timely basis. Who knows, it varies from person to person, but from what I've seen, the disease progression depends 90% on ourselves and how we progress, and only 10% in the form of a pill or doctor. The disease has been downgraded from life threatning to "chronic but manageable" -- still far from a bed of roses. The mortality rate will soon rival that of diabetes, and many more will live long lives, dotors expect a minimum of 20 years in each patient, while some expect a full lifeitme before the patient passes. He died for the exact same reason that many die of cancer, while others survive cancer and move on with their life.