Death of Ryan White

Death of Ryan White

Ryan White, a nineteen year old, white, heterosexual, middle class teenager from Kokomo, Indiana died on April 8, 1990 of AIDS, which he contracted from blood products, as part of his treatment for hemophilia. He came to public attention, when he was expelled from school for being a health risk. Afterwards, his parents, Wayne and Jeanne White, along with Ryan and his sister Andrea moved to Cicero, Indiana, where he was received at Hamilton Heights High School as a celebrity by those, who were more fully educated into the nature of HIV. Source: Wikipedia In 1989, ABC aired "The Ryan White Story," where Lukas Haas dramatized the role of Ryan. Judith Light played the part of Jeanne White (Ryan's mother). Ryan even had the opportunity to portray his real life friend, Chad. He appeared repeatedly on nationwide television programs as one of America's most visible spokespersons for the AIDS

This is the contents of the CAPILLUS™ HIV-1/HIV-2 Rapid Test Kit that tests whole blood, serum, or plasma. Image Source: CDC/ Cheryl Tryon; Stacy Howard

crisis. He was befriended by celebrities such as Elton John, Michael Jackson, Greg Louganis, Alyssa Milano, Charlie Sheen, and Elizabeth Taylor, speaking out for the compassionate treatment of AIDS sufferers. Source: Internet Movie Database At the age of sixteen, Ryan testified before the President's Commission on AIDS, under the Reagan administration. Source: Wikipedia If he had survived, he planned to attend Indiana University. Source: Indiana University Just a few months after Ryan's death, the U.S. Congress passed on August 18, 1990, Public Law 101-381, the Ryan White Comprehensive AIDS Resources Emergency (CARE) Act to assist local health care delivery systems in providing care for people with AIDS, who do not have adequate health insurance or other resources. As of 1998, as a result of the Ryan White CARE Act, more than $6.4 billion in federal funds have been appropriated, and about 500,000 individuals with AIDS and HIV are served in a given year. Source: FindLaw Ryan emphasized the success of AIDS education in his testimony before the President's Commission on AIDS. HIV testing is the first step in your personal education in determining if you are infected with the Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV). HIV tests look for antibodies to HIV. Those antibodies are proteins produced by your immune system to fight germs. Blood tests are the most common HIV test, but newer tests can detect antibodies in mouth fluid, from scrapings inside your cheek, or from your urine. Rapid HIV tests are now capable of test results within 10 to 30 minutes after a sample is taken. Between three weeks and two months after becoming infected with HIV, your immune system produces antibodies to HIV, so you should wait two months before being tested, after you think you were exposed to HIV. Tests are confidential, though the CDC has proposed keeping track of names -- without any action taken, thus far. Test results are more than 99.5% accurate. Source: New Mexico AIDS InfoNet Good nutrition, in particular extra muscle weight, helps the body fight HIV. Though most people want to lose weight, for people with HIV, it can be dangerous. If you lose too much lean weight, i.e., more than 5% of your body weight, your body chemistry changes. This is called wasting syndrome or cachexia, which can kill you. Talk with your doctor. Suggested reading by the New Mexico AIDS InfoNet for nutrition, HIV, and AIDS