Who was Ryan White?
The Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program is named for a young man who bravely fought HIV stigma and discrimination and worked tirelessly to educate the world about HIV/AIDS. Ryan White was diagnosed with AIDS at the age of 13, after contracting HIV through blood products used to treat his hemophilia. Once his diagnosis was known in his hometown in Indiana, he was told he wouldn’t be allowed to attend school. Ryan’s struggle to be treated like a normal kid made him an international celebrity: Because of the lack of education on AIDS, discrimination, fear, panic, and lies surrounded me. I was labeled a troublemaker, my mom an unfit mother, and I was not welcome anywhere. People would get up and leave so they would not have to sit anywhere near me. Even at church, people would not shake my hand. This brought on the news media, TV crews, interviews, and numerous public appearances. I became known as the AIDS boy. I received thousands of letters of support from all around the world, all because I wa
Ryan White was diagnosed as a young boy with AIDS at age 13 and gained international notoriety fighting for his right to attend school. In the process, he opened the hearts and minds of millions of people. Ryan was featured on numerous television shows and magazine covers and was the subject of a television movie about his life. He became friends with world-renowned athletes and entertainers, including Elton John, Greg Luoganis, and Michael Jackson, all of whom offered Ryan and his family their support. He spoke out often and eloquently about the challenges he faced and the need for greater compassion towards people with HIV and AIDS. Despite the ravages of the illness to his body and the discrimination he faced, Ryan remained a positive, healing force throughout his life. Ryan contracted HIV through blood-based products used to treat his hemophilia. He learned that he had the virus when he contracted a life-threatening lung infection. Ryans story captured the attention of the media an
Ryan White was an Indiana teenager with hemophilia who contracted AIDS through a blood transfusion. He courageously fought AIDS-related discrimination and helped educate the Nation about his disease. Ryan White was diagnosed with AIDS at age 13. He and his mother Jeannie White Ginder fought for his right to attend school, gaining international attention. Ryan was featured on countless television shows and magazine covers and was the subject of a television movie about his life. Ryan White died on April 8, 1990, at the age of 18, just a few months before Congress passed the AIDS bill that bears his name-the Ryan White CARE (Comprehensive AIDS Resources Emergency) Act. The legislation has been reauthorized three times since-in 1996, 2000, and most recently in with the most recent 2006 enactment renaming the program as the Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program.
