A Chinese man, who lived in agony for ten years thinking he was going to die after being diagnosed with AIDS, has discovered that the earlier diagnosis given to him was not correct.

The man, 53-year-old Yang Shoufa from Henan province in central China, was diagnosed with AIDS in 2004, according to People’s Daily. Since then, he has had to face the terrors that followed the diagnosis.

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Yang, a farmer, told Thepaper.cn that his world turned “upside down” after the Zhenping County disease control center gave him the shocking diagnosis. His wife filed for divorce and left him, taking their three kids with her. Yang also became the subject of scorn among his fellow villagers. Children even ran away from him when he would come near them.

Yang was puzzled as to how he contracted the disease and thought that he might have acquired it during the 1990’s when he made a blood donation for money.

Yang’s finances also suffered a major blow. Without getting a second-opinion regarding the diagnosis, Yang started to take expensive medicines to put his condition under control. However, instead of getting better, Yang’s health deteriorated, causing him to lose his job.

“I felt like I was a prison on death row,” Yang said of his condition. “To live through each day was torture. I had no idea which coming day would be my last day.”

In time, Yang starting suffering from extreme cold intolerance, trembling and migraines, among other illnesses. In 2012, he was finally taken to the hospital for treatment. Yang was shocked to find that his medical report said he was HIV/AIDS “negative.”

The surprised farmer was instead diagnosed with various illnesses, which included inflammations, excessive bleeding caused by stomach ulcers, and an enlarged prostate.

In November 2015, Zhenping’s Health Bureau said it will confirm if the blood samples taken from Yang in 2003 and 2012 match. If not, it will hold an investigation to look into the matter.

In March, Yang was offered 100,000 yuan (about USD $15,278) as compensation. The amount was raised to 250,000 yuan ($38,197) after two months.

Utterly disappointed, Yang said the amount could not compensate for what he lost. He now engages in excessive drinking as an expression of his anguish over what happened to him.

TagsYang Shoufa, Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome, Zhenping, Henan Province