From his hospital bed Friday, a gaunt AIDS patient named Buddy had some advice for Magic Johnson, who one day earlier announced he had tested positive for the virus that causes the disease.

If Buddy knows too well the painful complications of infection with human immunodeficiency virus, he was full of hope for Johnson. "Magic won't give up," Buddy insisted, a wan smile crossing his face. "He's going to be a fighter. . . . The guy's got a real, real good chance of having a successful life."

as they dozed in bed, TV sets on, a startling image filled the screen: Johnson telling the world that he was giving up professional basketball after testing positive for the virus that causes acquired immune deficiency syndrome. Patients and nurses alike reacted with sympathy and distress. Still, they said, they hoped Johnson's courage in talking about his infection would increase public understanding of AIDS and also help erase the stigma of the sexually transmitted infection.