Ryan Wayne White (
December 6,
1971 –
April 8,
1990) was a young man with
AIDS from
Kokomo, Indiana who became a national spokesman for AIDS, after being expelled from school because of his infection. A lifelong
hemophiliac, he became infected with
HIV from a tainted blood treatment in 1984 and given six months to live. White nevertheless tried to return to school, but parents and teachers in Kokomo rallied against him; though doctors said he posed no risk, AIDS was poorly understood at the time. A lengthy legal battle ensued, and media coverage of the struggle made White into a national celebrity and spokesman for AIDS research. He appeared frequently in the media with celebrities such as singer
Elton John, pop star
Michael Jackson and talk show host
Phil Donahue. Surprising his doctors, White lived 5 years longer than predicted and died shortly before completing high school in April 1990.
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