Ryan White
Ryan White Ryan White may not have lived a long life, but his life definitely made an impact on our
nation and the world. Ryan faced a life full of discrimination and pain, but he learned how to
overcome everything. Ryan Wayne Wright was born on December 6, 1971 in Kokomo, Indiana, to
Jeanne Elaine Hale and Hubert Wayne White. Ryan was only 6 days old when doctors diagnosed him
with a severe form of type A hemophilia. Hemophilia is a blood disease that causes the sufferer s
blood cannot clot and minor injuries can cause them to even bleed to death. Because Ryan had
hemophilia, he had to receive blood transfusions of Factor VIII, a product of blood that aids in
clotting. Although Ryan had this severe disease, he could still go about his ... Show more content on
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Threats continued from locals, and the Whites finally decided to leave Kokomo when a bullet fired
through their living room. They moved to Cicero, Indiana in 1987, where he attended Hamilton
Heights High School. He was welcomed there with open arms because people in Cicero were more
educated about AIDS and how it was actually spread. Ryan s disputes with his old school had captured
national media attention. Between 1985 and 1987, news stories about AIDS had doubled, and the
public was becoming more aware of what it really was and how it was actually spread. White became
known as the poster boy for AIDS because people had never seen someone like Ryan with AIDS.
AIDS was usually associated to homosexuals, but Ryan put a new face on it. He was just a normal
teenager that had to battle with his disease. Not only did Ryan catch the attention of the media, but
also of celebrities. Ryan caught some big stars attention such as Michal Jackson, Elton John, and John
Mellencamp. He even met with the president, Ronald Reagan. These celebrities, and many more, were
often seen with Ryan at AIDS fund raisers and promotions. They also gave him money and gifts, Even
though Ryan got all of this publicity, he didn t necessarily like it. White stated that he disliked the
spotlight, hated that many people blamed his mother for his sickness, and said that he would trade all
the attention to be free of his disease any day. Despite hating the attention, he still used his notoriety
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