Ryan White
Ryan White
Ryan Wayne White was an American teenager from Kokomo, Indiana, who became a national poster child for HIV/AIDS in the United States after being expelled from middle school because of his infection. As a hemophiliac, he became infected with HIV from a contaminated blood treatment and, when diagnosed in December 1984, was given six months to live. Doctors said he posed no risk to other students, but AIDS was poorly understood at the time. When White tried to return to...
NationalityAmerican
ProfessionActivist
Date of Birth6 December 1971
CityKokomo, IN
CountryUnited States of America
When I came out of surgery, I was on a respirator and had a tube in my left lung. I spent Christmas and the next thirty days in the hospital.
It was my decision to live a normal life, go to school, be with my friends, and enjoying day to day activities. It was not going to be easy.
All in all I led a pretty normal life.
This brought on the news media, TV crews, interviews, and numerous public appearances.
AIDS can destroy a family if you let it, but luckily for my sister and me, Mom taught us to keep going. Don't give up, be proud of who you are, and never feel sorry for yourself.
Rumors of sneezing, kissing, tears, sweat, and saliva spreading AIDS caused people to panic.