Ryan Wayne White

Ryan at the Beach

A true hero is Ryan Wayne White. Ryan was known as “The AIDS Boy.” He was from Kokomo, Indiana, and born on December 6, 1971 with severe Hemophilia. Hemophilia is a rare bleeding disorder where your blood doesn’t clot normally. Like if we get a cut, it doesn’t take long to scab up and we don’t bleed a whole lot, but if Ryan were to get a cut, then he would bleed a lot and take much longer to scab up and heal. They bruise easily, too. Ryan was diagnosed with AIDS when he was only 13. At that time, AIDS was only known throughout the gay community. He contracted AIDS through a blood transfusion to treat his Hemophilia.

Ryan in 1990.

Ryan was battling pneumonia on December 17, 1984. He had to have 2 inches of his left lung removed. Soon after the surgery, Ryan’s doctor told his mom that he had AIDS, and gave him 6 months to live; this was all when he was 13. He didn’t let that stop him from living a normal life, and people misunderstood AIDS at that time. He was discriminated against at school, and he could not attend classes because people thought that they would catch AIDS. When he went out to eat, people would throw away dishes after he ate, and one time a bullet was fired into his home. They went to court over him not being able to go to school many times, and the judge ruled that he should be able to attend school. When he returned to school, he faced people writing mean and nasty things on his locker. And some kids were even pulled out of school by their parents. Not long after all of this, Ryan, his mother Jeanne, his sister Andrea, all moved to Cicero, Indiana. (His parents split up at a young age) They moved in hope of being accepted by the small community.

Ryan (Google Images)

Ryan was accepted by the people in Hamilton Heights High School with their arms wide open. The people there took it upon themselves to learn about AIDS and taught other people about it. They did not judge him. He loved it there. Ryan began gaining the attention of the media and was teaching people about his incurable disease. He was on the covers of magazines, news papers, television shows, and a book was written about him, and he helped write it. He was even in his own movie, “The Ryan White Story.” He met famous celebrities; Elton John, Michael Jackson, Judith Light, and much more. They all supported Ryan and his family. Ryan spoke many times in front of huge crowds. One day he spoke on March 3rd, 1988 before the National Commission of AIDS and stressed that it is not just a gay disease, or from intravenous (within a vein) drug use, it’s a human disease, and we must all fight it together.

Ryan died fighting on April 8th, 1990, on Palm Sunday. He was surrounded by loved ones and friends, including Elton John. His funeral was one of the largest in the history of Indiana. Elton John sang “Skyline Pigeon” at his funeral and even helped pay for it. The Ryan White CARE Act was started in his honor. It helps over 500,000 people a year with HIV/AIDS.

I chose Ryan White as my hero because he never stopped fighting. Although I do not know of anyone with the disease, I was struck by Ryan’s story because of his bravery. He fought till the end. And he stood up for what he thought was right, and had many supporters. He helped people better understand the disease, too. He is a true hero.