Ryan Wayne White, born December 6, 1971 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. 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, and when White tried to return to school, many parents and teachers in Kokomo rallied against his attendance. A lengthy legal battle with the school system ensued, and media coverage of the case made White into a national celebrity and spokesman for AIDS research and public education due to the prejudice he experienced. Surprising his doctors, White lived five years longer than predicted and died on April 8th 1990, one month prior to his high school graduation [x]
(via healthtothepeople)
