In 1984 he was diagnosed with HIV, which he had contracted in 1978, from medical injections. By 1994 he was one of the longest survivors with HIV and offered his case to Dr. Bruce D. Walker at Massachusetts General Hospital for review. Extensive study of Massie's blood has contributed to research and treatment studies around the world, and he was the subject of a NOVA documentary in 1999. In 1996 and 2002 Massie had surgeries to replace his knee joints, damaged from the repetitive joint bleeds.