In Chapter 29 of
History Alive! The United States Through Industrialism,
you learned the importance of citizenship. You also met several people who
contributed to the growth of the nation’s moral character. One of them was Ryan
White, a teenager who helped educate Americans about AIDS. This essay tells you
more about this courageous young American.
Ryan White was born on December 6, 1971, in Kokomo, Indiana. At birth, he was
diagnosed with hemophilia. Hemophilia is a genetic disease that causes blood
not to clot properly. As a child, Ryan had to go to the hospital at least twice
a month to receive extra blood. He was told he couldn’t play sports like most
children because an injury might cause him to bleed to death.
Just before Ryan was born, a new discovery was made that would change his life.
This discovery was called Factor VIII. It was a blood product that combined
blood from thousands of donors. Factor VIII included blood from people who
could clot normally. Ryan regularly received transfusions of Factor VIII. It
allowed him to do what other children his age could do. He learned to ride a
bike and even played Little League Baseball for one season.
At the age of 12, Ryan spent the summer with his grandparents. He went fishing
with his grandfather. He hung out with his friends. He collected comic books
and even had a girlfriend. He also began feeling more and more sick.
Ryan’s pediatrician said that Ryan just had a bad case of flu. A few months
later, an annual checkup showed that Ryan had a disease called hepatitis. He
and his family were relieved. They thought the hepatitis had caused his
diarrhea, stomach cramps, and night sweats.
Ryan’s 13th birthday arrived, but it wasn’t a happy occasion. He spent the
weekend coughing, sleeping, and burning up with a high fever. Eventually, he
ended up in a children’s hospital in Indianapolis. There Ryan learned he had
AIDS, a recently discovered and deadly disease. AIDS attacks the body’s ability
to fight off other diseases. Ryan had gotten it through the very same blood
product that had allowed him to be like other kids—Factor VIII.
After months of recovery, Ryan began to feel better. He wanted to return to
school, but the school did not want him back. The administrators, teachers,
students, and parents at Ryan’s school were afraid that he would give everyone
AIDS. In the early 1980s, little was known about how AIDS is transmitted.
People thought that even casual contact could pass the terrible disease from
person to person. AIDS patients, like Ryan, got caught in the middle of this
confusion.
Though Ryan was fighting a deadly condition, he fought hard for the right to go
back to school. The people of Kokomo were not accepting of Ryan’s AIDS.
Newspapers and television stations called his mother unfit because she had
“allowed” him to get AIDS. His sister and cousins were harassed at school. Even
Ryan’s favorite teacher told a reporter that he didn’t want Ryan back in
school. At church, nobody would shake his hand during the service. One Sunday,
Ryan’s family returned home to find that a bullet had been shot through their
front window.
Ryan got a very different reception outside of his hometown. He began traveling
all over the country and even to Italy to speak on television shows about his
illness and his fight to return to school. On the streets of Rome, strangers
recognized him and gave him warm hugs of support. He was invited to a benefit
party for the American Foundation for AIDS Research. There he met many
celebrities who praised him for his courage. When singer Elton John found out
that he was the entertainer Ryan most wanted to meet, he called Ryan to
apologize for not being at the benefit. He promised to make it up to Ryan at
his next concert.
A court finally ordered the school to allow Ryan to return. He started high
school in August of 1986 at the age of 15. Sadly, he faced more harassment. One
day some students broke into and vandalized his locker. Ryan wanted to move to
a place where he would be respected. His family moved to Cicero, Indiana. The
people of Cicero did not let fear get the best of them. Students at his new
school, Hamilton High, went through an AIDS education program. They learned
that people can’t get AIDS by touching others or by sharing a bathroom. Ryan
made many friends who would help him through his illness.
Ryan continued to draw public attention. He felt it was important to educate
people about the facts of his disease. He spoke before the President’s
Commission on AIDS about his experience in Kokomo. He helped in the filming of
a television movie about his life. He even got to play a small part as Chad,
another hemophiliac who had died of AIDS. He got offers to speak to audiences
several times per week. One of his most memorable appearances came before a
convention of the National Education Association in New Orleans. More than
10,000 thousand teachers gave Ryan a standing ovation.
Just before his 18th birthday, Ryan began to feel sicker. He stopped going to
school, though he did plan to go to his prom with his good friend Heather. He
went into the hospital in the spring of 1990. Elton John flew in to be near
Ryan’s bedside and help his family.
On April 8, 1990, Ryan White died. His funeral was the largest Indiana had ever
seen. Besides family and friends, the funeral was attended by celebrities and
strangers who had been touched by Ryan’s work. Over 50,000 cards were sent to
Ryan’s family.
Since Ryan’s death, there has been much more education about AIDS. His mother
continues Ryan’s work to educate people about the facts. She has spoken before
many audiences. She spends hours on the phone with other children who have AIDS
and their parents. She worked with Senators Edward Kennedy and Orrin Hatch to
lobby Congress for “The Ryan White Comprehensive AIDS Resources Emergency
(CARE) Act.” The bill passed, allowing AIDS patients and their families to get
full medical care.
Ryan White inspired others with both his deeds and his words. Reflecting on his
experience, he once said:
Other people—not just in Kokomo—can’t seem
to get it right. Most of the time you can’t tell who has AIDS and who doesn’t.
You never know when you might be next to someone who does. Some people still
believe that the AIDS virus is airborne, so they keep thinking that they can’t
be in the same room with me. They’re totally afraid to sit next to me, but
they’ll sit next to someone who did. Now that’s just plain stupid—and it hurts!
The point is, you’ve got to try to change people anyway… I keep reminding
myself that education takes time. Ignorance dies hard. But I guess this is
going to take a lot longer than I ever dreamed.
Source:
Based on
Ryan White: My Own Story (New York: Dial Books, 1991).
Enrichment Activity
Answer these questions:
| 1.
|
Why were people so afraid of Ryan? |
| 2.
|
How did Ryan handle other people’s fear? |
| 3.
|
What qualities of citizenship did Ryan exhibit? |
| 4. |
What contributions did Ryan White make to the story of American
democracy? |
