Hear the Ryan White Story as told by his mother, Jeanne White-Ginder. Ryan was a boy living with hemophilia and diagnosed with AIDS following a transfusion of tainted clotting factor in December 1984.
The WFH is very proud to be able to welcome Jeanne White-Ginder to the WFH 2016 World Congress. Jeanne will be telling the story of her son Ryan White, who was born with hemophilia and was diagnosed with AIDS following a transfusion of tainted clotting factor in December 1984. At the time, Ryan was 13 years old and was attending school and living in Komono, Indiana. He was given six months to live.
When Ryan tried to return to school after receiving his AIDS diagnosis, he fought AIDS-related discrimination in his Indiana community and was barred from attending public school. Ryan and his mother rallied for his right to attend school through a legal battle that gained national attention. The White family became the face of public education about AIDS. His story captured the hearts of people worldwide including—most famously—Elton John and Michael Jackson, who both befriended the White family.
Ryan ultimately earned the right to return to school and continued to be a spokesperson for AIDS. He spoke before the President’s Commission on AIDS, held regular media and talk show appearances, and spoke to over 10,000 teachers and educators at the Louisiana Superdome. Surprising his doctors, Ryan lived five years longer than expected. He died in April 1990, one month before his high school graduation and only months before the United States Congress passed the legislation bearing his name in August 1990: the Ryan White Comprehensive AIDS Resources Emergency (CARE) Act, which provides care and treatment to over 500,000 people each year.
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.
Jeanne White-Ginder will be speaking on Monday, July 25, from 10:10 AM to 10:40 AM in the Showcase Theatre located in Hall B1.