Taken from Facebook–The Ryan White Story – EVERYONE needs to know
Ryan White was diagnosed 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.
During the time between his diagnosis in 1984 and his death in 1990, Ryan spoke out often and eloquently about the challenges he faced and the need for greater compassion towards people with HIV and AIDS.
Ryan contracted HIV through blood-based products used to treat his hemophilia. At the time Ryan learned he had the infection, he was told he had no more than six months to live. While recuperating and thinking about the limited time he had left, Ryan told his mother Jeanne that he wanted to live a normal life…..
Unfortunately, Ryan’s school and his community responded with fear and ignorance to his illness. The local superintendent refused to allow Ryan to attend school, a move supported by teachers and parents. Ryan and his family fought the decision. Once the state board of education ruled that he should be allowed to return to school a group of parents sued to keep him out. The courts ultimately ruled in Ryan’s favor, and he did return to school.
Sadly, he was met with taunts and unfounded rumors and some students chose to be home-schooled rather than attend with Ryan. Ryan weathered the storm with tremendous patience and grace, never demonizing those who sought to demonize him.
This week will mark 27 years since Ryan White died. The teenager from Kokomo, who suffered from Hemophilia, gained international attention when he contracted the AIDS virus from a contaminated blood transfusion. But now a new project between Ryan’s mother, Jeanne White Ginder, and the Children’s Museum of Indianapolis, will give people a unique look at the battle Ryan fought against his illness.
When White was diagnosed with AIDS, he was ostracized by much the community in Kokomo. It finally took a court order for him to be allowed to attend school there before his family finally moved to Cicero. Up until he died, White received thousands of letters of support from across the world. Soon, the letters will be available for anyone to see and study.
Ryan’s Mother still remembers the mail her son would get every day.
“I think that was the highlight of Ryan’s day, for quite a while,” said White Ginder.
Even after White died on April 8, 1990, the letters continued to arrive. Now, his mom has more than 6,000 of them saved.
“Most of Ryan’s mail was from kids,” said White Ginder.
Soon, those letters will be seen by anyone who wants to look at them. Each one is being scanned, documented and transcribed in Indianapolis, to be loaded into a massive digital archive.
“His whole life has amazed me so in every process and this is another process where he can reach kids and he’s still kind of alive,” said White Ginder.
The goal is simple: to give any curious mind the chance to look at the aids epidemic from the perspective of children. The project director says currently no similar archive exists.
Ryan white would have been 46 this year, and part of this project might involve you. The Children’s Museum is looking for anyone who wrote or received a letter from Ryan White to get in touch with them.
4th April 2017 – 8th April 2017
Throughout this week I will be remembering the little boy, the fighter, the celebrity, his Mum along with the fantastic work she does in his name today and of course my hero.
Hear below from Ryan himself. How he took on the American justice system and won the hearts of thousands, as well as the battle many take for granted today…
Part One – This is the story about Ryan White who acquired HIV through a blood transfusion. For information about Aspire Indiana HIV/AIDS Services
Part Two – This is the story about Ryan White who acquired HIV through a blood transfusion. For information about Aspire Indiana HIV/AIDS Services
Ultimately, though, the family decided to move to another community. Ryan enrolled in Hamilton Heights High School and was welcomed with open arms. The students had taken it upon themselves to learn about AIDS and educate their parents and teachers, as well. Ryan thrived in his new environment.
Ryan’s story captured the attention of the media and the public and his courage, determination, and positive attitude made him a hero for many.
He appeared on the covers of The Saturday Evening Post, USA Weekend, LIFE, and People (three times). He also appeared on Nightline, Today, Phil Donahue, Sally Jessy Rapheal, West 57th, Good Morning America, and Prime Time Live..
He testified before the National Commission on AIDS. Though constantly surprised by the notoriety he received because of his seemingly simple wish just to go to school, Ryan nevertheless recognized the value of the spotlight and seized the opportunities he was given. In all of his appearances, he gave voice to the desires of thousands of people with HIV/AIDS who wanted only to be treated with respect and compassion and given the opportunity to live as normal a life as possible. Ryan’s visibility and outspokenness were especially crucial in the early days of the AIDS epidemic.
Because Ryan was infected through blood products and not through sexual contact or intravenous drug use, many found him more sympathetic than others with HIV and AIDS. Ryan, however, rejected all attempts to portray him as “innocent.” He never drew a line between himself and other people living with HIV and AIDS and always urged compassion and support for all people living with the disease. Ryan White just wanted to go to school but was ostracized after getting AIDS thru blood products. That didn’t stop him. He went on to educate the world about AIDS, became famous and made close friends along the way, including Elton John & Michael Jackson!
Ryan White People Magazine
Haemophilia Mum’s are angels sent to look after their little boys
Ryan’s last days in hospital
Ryan died on Palm Sunday, April 8, 1990, with his mother, his sister Andrea, his grandparents, his uncle and his friend Elton John at his bedside. Ryan’s funeral was among the largest in Indiana history. Elton John performed at the ceremony, which included Michael Jackson and First Lady Barbara Bush among the mourners.
Ryan’s legacy lives on in many ways. The Ryan White CARE Act is a federal program that funds services for over 500,000 people with HIV/AIDS each year. The annual Ryan White Youth Conference brings together young people working on HIV/AIDS in communities across the country and the Ryan White Forest commemorates the lives of people with AIDS in Israel. Ryan’s mom, Jeanne White-Ginder continues to speak with audiences across the country, carrying Ryan’s message of love, compassion and hope.
1988 TV movie based on the true story of Ryan White, an Indiana teenager with AIDS who fought for the right to attend school.
Ryan White: My Own Story
A touching tale of a courageous young man, his battle against fear and hatred, and his fight to educate the public about AIDS. “A story of tragedy and courage that should be reade by all.”—Dallas Morning News.
2016
Published on 2 Dec 2016
How did the AIDS epidemic end up impacting the Hemophilia Community so profoundly?
Produced by the HIV Story Project and the National AIDS Memorial Grove, directed by Jörg Fockele.
Had he not lost his life to AIDS-tainted hemophilia treatments, Ryan White would have turned 45 today. In this interview, Jeanne White-Ginder talks about Ryan’s life and the impact of the AIDS pandemic on the hemophilia community:
2009
President Obama announced regulations formally ending the 22-year ban on travel and immigration by HIV-positive individuals. He also signed the Ryan White HIV/AIDS Treatment Extension Act of 2009.
2011
Today (December 6, 2011) would have been Ryan’s 40th birthday. I’ve always liked this tribute and decided this was a good time to post it. What I’ve always admired about Ryan is not just his bravery and good natured personality, but the fact that he was able to persist in his battle to return to school despite the horrible treatment he received from the people around him. Consider the whole bullying issue now, and how distressing it is for kids who are being picked on by one or several kids. Ryan was being maligned and abused and picked on by most of the kids, teachers, and townspeople in Kokomo, and he still persisted. Most people faced with that kind of animosity would have stayed home. He kept trying, making goals for himself, and moving forward. Not all people faced with a chronic illness are able to keep that positive an attitude. That is why I think of him as a heroic figure. I highly recommend his biography for anyone interested in learning more about his life. RIP Ryan.
What Ryan White Teaches Us, 25 Years After His Death
The Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program plays a critical role in the United States’ public health response to HIV and is the largest Federal program exclusively providing services to people living with the disease. On its 25th anniversary, health care providers and patients talk about how the Ryan White HIV AIDS program has benefited them and their communities.
Since Ryan died in 1990, Jeanne has continued to tell their story, educating people about the disease in the hope of making the world a more educated, compassionate and caring place for people living with HIV/AIDS.
October 2, 2009 Beat Aids Banquet in San Antonio , Tx USA Guest speaker : Jeanne White – Ginder …
Ryan White’s Mother Remembers 25 Years Later
In 1981, 13-year-old Ryan White was diagnosed with AIDS after receiving contaminated blood used to treat his Hemophilia. In a battle that garnered national attention, his mother Jeanne fought to keep her son in school and change the stigma.
Published on 8 Apr 2015
Wednesday marked 25 years since the death of Ryan White, the boy from Kokomo who died from AIDS in 1990.
To read more about the 2016 National Conference on HIV Care & Treatment
The backbone of the 2016 National Ryan White Conference on HIV Care and Treatment is a robust schedule of oral presentations and posters. In keeping with the theme for this year’s conference—Forward Momentum: Accelerating Access. Optimizing Care. Transforming Public Health.—six new session tracks will serve as the basis for this year’s workshop and poster sessions.
Data to Care
This track will examine the collection and use of program and surveillance data to achieve the National HIV/AIDS Strategy: Updated to 2020 goals and to improve the health outcomes of people living with HIV (PLWH).
Emerging Issues
This track will examine critical, emergent issues important to the delivery of high-quality, comprehensive HIV care and treatment and to the achievement of the National HIV/AIDS Strategy: Updated to 2020 goals. Specific examples of the Track content are: jurisdictional approaches to ending the HIV epidemic; implementation of pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) services; use of social media; population specific interventions for youth, black gay men who have sex with men, transgender individuals and pregnant women; integration of HIV care, primary care, and behavioral health; trauma informed care models; and, structural interventions such as housing and employment.
Healthcare Landscape
This track will examine the changing health care landscape, including health policy issues, workforce capacity development, and outreach and enrollment initiatives to engage PLWH in health care coverage.
Quality Management
This track will examine mechanisms and best clinical quality management practices to measure and improve patient care, health outcomes, and patient satisfaction in order to progress the RWHAP and National HIV/AIDS Strategy: Updated to 2020 goals and objectives for HIV care and treatment.
Innovative Practices
This track will describe and demonstrate innovative programmatic approaches to improve health outcomes for PLWH and to achieve the National HIV/AIDS Strategy: Updated to 2020 goals. Specific examples of the Track content are: using learning collaborative models to improve health outcomes; collaboration across RWHAP Parts and community partners such as Community Health Centers; strategies for linkage and retention; replication of SPNS models; data utilization for improving health outcomes for people living with HIV.
Clinical Pathway
This track is exclusively designated for experienced clinical decision-makers and key medical care teams who treat people living with HIV. This track will provide state-of-the-art workshops and presentations on research and comprehensive care and treatment of HIV. Please note that the Clinical Pathway track will be held Tuesday through Thursday during the National Conference, and separate registration is required to attend. For the Clinical Pathway track agenda and details on how to register, please visit http://www.iasusa.org/clinicalpathwaytrack2016.
