Do you remember Ryan White's case back in the 1980's? I cannot remember when he died but I think Elton John went to his funeral.
Do you remember Ryan White's case back in the 1980's? I cannot remember when he died but I think Elton John went to his funeral.
Elton John became good friends with him and his Mom in 1985 I think I remember it was right around when my son was born. Then when Ryan died in 90 I think Elton and Phil Donahue helped his mom start the Ryan white foundation.
who is ryan white?
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. He was, as Ted Koppel described him on Nightline, ??an extraordinary young man; brave, tolerant, and wise beyond his years.?
www.ryanwhite.com for more.
Good ole Michael Jackson even went to his funeral.
~SinKitty
I remember him..He was such a brave kid..and Elton john did become quite close to Ryan and his family. He sang at his funeral..Skyline Pidgeon..which was Ryan's favorite I believe he sang.
well most of us anyway.
Sadly despite Ryan White and the many of others who have died of AIDS over the years ( remember that woman who got AIDS from her dentist when he did some work on her teeth? ), many people still think of AIDS as a "gay thing".
Recently a co-worker told me that he heard that the Red Cross won't accept blood from someone who is gay because of HIV. One of my gay friends recently was in the hospital because of back problems. But because he was gay he was required to be tested for HIV. Had he been straight, I doubt the hospital would even asked.
Even Magic Johnson, when he announced that he was HIV positive, I remember the taboilds trying their damnest to link the basketball star to homsexuality. They failed. When John Holmes died of AIDS, so many people swear that he became infected with HIV from doing that one gay porn flick. Never mind the fact that the man had already slept with God knows how many women prior to that, but there are some who refuse to believe that one can't get HIV from hetrosexual sex, only gay sex. People need to get their heads out of the sand.
As did Elton John, as one poster said upthread. I'll always remember Elton's performance at Ryan White's funeral. Not only for the magnitude of the event (YES, he was strong and wise beyond his years!), but because of the poor condition Elton was in, and admitted to himself. If you have a chance, try to look up some pics of Elton's performance at Ryan's funeral. As Elton says, he was bloated and a serious alcohol/pill abuser.
I always thought it wonderful that at such a sad time as a child's passing, that it took that funeral to open Elton's eyes to his own problems.
Kids are like that. RIP Ryan.
~Mamma
PS - Michael jackson bought Ryan a red sports car .... Camaro? Trans Am? Corvette maybe?
This was a sad time for Ryan and his family. America showed how terribly ignorant and mean we could be. This innocent youngster was put thru hell by the way he was expelled from school, and treated worse than a leper, all because of prejudice. Not a proud time in American history.
I've got the People magazine with him on the cover. I was fascinated by his story. I remember he was on Maury or one of those shows once and I taped that too, I've got it somewhere. (Phil Donahue? I don't really remember)
It was so touching when Elton sang for him.
Ryan White brought tears to my eyes.
I seem to recall that Michael Jackson paid for his headstone? Also, The Ryan White Story is a very good book.
http://www.amazon.com/Ryan-White-My-...4453023&sr=8-1
My 32 year old uncle died of AIDS the same week. The O.C. Register did a column on how my uncle didn't receive the fanfare of Ryan White. Why? He was just another fag.
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Last edited by Dan33185; 12-21-2010 at 01:44 AM.
No one in the early 80s knew they were taking risks. He was monogamous and safe by the time word got out about AIDS and HIV. Too late. It had been with him for 7 years. That was the point of the article. Many of the early victims had no idea they were taking risks! Things happened at a different pace back then. You got a cold. You couldn't get rid of it. Two years later, you're in the grave. Some of these guys were HIV positive for several years. It had been in the U.S. since the late late 70s. These same guys didn't become full blown until the mid 80s. There have to be people on the site who remember what it was like to watch members of the family drop like flies back then. And on another note, would you condemn your aunt to death for not taking her insulin properly and eating cake daily?
The Register column addressed this issue exactly. By the time these guys were educated, it was too late.
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Last edited by Dan33185; 12-21-2010 at 01:42 AM.
Whoa Dan!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Hon, you need to step back a minute. Why are you so defensive and seemingly belligerant about AIDS and gays? Are you a closet queen? I know a woman who was injured by one of the bombs that Eric Rudolph threw in Antanta. When repairing her wounds, the hospital gave her tainted blood. She is still doing routine tests to make certain she does not become HIV positive. Not her fault!!! Ryan White was an innocent lamb that America tried to lead to the slaughter.
You chose not to respond to the other point. It is a major point that the public was not made aware of the disease and its primary mode of transmission until things got out of hand. Read a little about the history of it. The CDC's decisions could have saved lives. I'm not claiming that there was a conspiracy. I'm talking about people making choices. People in decision making positions making choices. http://aids.about.com/od/newlydiagno...ivtimeline.htm educate yourself
I remember it very well. Poor kid. That was back when AIDS was supposedly caused by gay people, and only affected gay men (in fact, AIDS had recently been named AIDS when Ryan White's story came to light, it used to be called "Gay Cancer".)
He was a young kid, hemopheliac (sp?) and got it from a blood transfusion. I highly recommend reading the book "And the Band Played On" or at least seeing the movie. It doesn't mention Ryan's case as much as it does the politics involved with the early AIDS cases - IE: No blood screening because of money woes.
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Last edited by Dan33185; 12-21-2010 at 01:42 AM.
I see your point, but let's not forget, there are those gay guys who into "bare backing" (sex w/o a condom). A totally dangerous (AND STUPID) practice, but they are under the impression with all the drugs available for AIDS patients to keep them alive and "healthy" - they are willing to risk it.
Ryan was a hemophiliac, a person whose blood does not clot. He got AIDS from the portion of other people's blood that he received to help his own blood to clot.
Rather than find out the facts, the people of Kokomo gave in to fear and hate. One of his neighbors broke into his house and stole the family's Christmas presents. People called Ryan a queer. People called his mother an unfit mother. People spread rumors that Ryan went into supermarkets and coughed and spit on the vegetables. Someone fired a bullet through their living room window. When Ryan went to court, and won the right to go back to school, hundreds of parents took their children out of school. Eventually, Ryan and his family moved away, to a better town.
Ryan's grave has been vandalized several times. Two boys were arrested after tipping over his headstone, and breaking it. The Ryan White Foundation (for AIDS education and support) has apparently gone broke.
Once again, Dan, you are refusing to admit that Ryan White CONTRACTED AIDS in the same era that many men who were having unprotected sex contracted it and didn't know that this existed. Over 8,000 people CONTRACTED it before the CDC went public about the disease. Thus, well over 8,000 men primarily in NY and LA had unprotected sex unaware that this would be a consequence.
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Last edited by Dan33185; 12-21-2010 at 01:43 AM.
Tennis star, Arthur Ashe, contracted AIDS the same way - thru a bad blood transfusion during a surgery.
He was straight.
The shit happens - people were donating blood - either knowing or not they had AIDS, before the blood banks finally wised up and started screening the supply.
Even to this day, they refuse to accept blood even from ANYONE who has had sex with a bi-sexual person - even if that person wanted to donate, is AIDS-free!
I have to wonder what the people who pulled their kids out of school feel now... do they feel stupid? Righteous? I know it was kind of an ignorant time for Aids and how it was spread, but even back then, the information about how Aids was spread was known wasn't it?
Performing my signature monkey hump move since 10/16/2007...
RIP Dad- 11/14/1947 to 12/16/2013
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Last edited by Dan33185; 12-21-2010 at 01:43 AM.
Boy, you're being a little unfair, aren't you? She just said that back then, they didn't even KNOW that there was a risk to be taken! AIDS was spreading faster than a stick of butter on a hot August day. It was being passed around before people ever even heard of it. (or knew that they had it to spread)
Ryan's story was one that I followed very closely....when he was being kicked out of school I was sharing a place with a co-worker who was from Kokomo & who tried to justify what her hometown was doing!
I also have his book Ryan White:My Own Story.....it is as heartbreaking as his short life. I've mentioned in another thread that the ONLY redeeming quality that I've ever seen in Michael Jackson was that he had befriended Ryan, his mom & sister....as did Elton John. They were both in attendance at his funeral....and had been with him in his final days. So much good came from such a horrible story...the Ryan White Act (now known as The Federal Ryan White Program) http://hab.hrsa.gov/history.htm serves as a tribute to Ryan & works for other kids with HIV/AIDS.
I am exactly the "deserving" type of person that "should have" contracted HIV. I was VERY promiscuous in the 80's. No one knew that sex could kill back then. Of course MANY people have been infected long after the known higher risk behaviors were determined.....but NOBODY deserves HIV/AIDS.
I had a friend who was a hemophiliac and contracted AIDS about the same time Ryan White did. Ryan died about three years earlier than my friend. The Ryan White foundation paid for my friend's firewood every winter before he died, so he wouldn't have to choose between food and heat.
I will never forget Ryan White.
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Last edited by Dan33185; 12-21-2010 at 01:42 AM.
Ryan White and I were the same age when he became known due to the treatment he received by neighbours and classmates. I actually had a crush on him. I wanted to become a scientist and find a cure for AIDS so that I could save him and we could get married. While I did give up on that dream, I was devastated when he died.
In my mind, Ryan White is in the top 5 amazing people to ever grace this world. After reading his book, it only reinforces that. Sure, he could've been angry at the gay community about what happened to him like many others probably would have. But, the fact of the matter is that he wasn't at all. He didn't let any sort of anger get in the way. He truly made the most of his time on this earth. It's such a shame that The Ryan White foundation is struggling (or any AIDS charity for that matter) financially.
I guess I feel for anyone with AIDS because when I was little, the hospital I was admitted to was shut down shortly thereafter for using dirty needles. Yes, I did have to get tested regularly. Thankfully, the only thing I picked up from my hospital stay were cold sores, it's my understanding that two people did get poked with a needle that was also used on an AIDS patient.
I do wonder what Kokomo, Ind is like these days?! I know that Ryan's story gave the entire town some bad PR, and rightfully so. I wonder if residents there are ashamed of that or are still bigoted to this day.
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Last edited by Dan33185; 12-21-2010 at 01:41 AM.
Which he was by thousands. I used it here for affect and the article put it in quotes referring to it as a negative term (obviously). The article was picked up by the A.P. Of course this obviously touches a nerve, but it doesn't make my argument any less valid. There were a great number of people for far beyond those early years who really didn't understand the impact of their behavior. There are still others today who believe that if they are HIV positive and that their partner is, they are safe having sex. They may not be educated in the fact that there are different strains of the disease. My adversary in this debate chooses to ignore that there was an actual beginning to the disease in this country.
Speaking beyond the early years...Many, many diseases require responsibile behavior for our survival. Responsible behavior becomes a relative term at some point. Of course I'm not talking about the limited extreme of those who run around with reckless abandon and are wildly promiscuous in today's age of greater enlightenment. However, it is a short-cut to thinking to assign an ugly word to an oppressed group of people who it is very simple to use as scapegoats for your own ills. Why not blame kids who don't wash their hands and gym users who don't use their towels for the current virus known as the "supergerm/virus"?
I have a brain adhesion that causes seizures. If I don't take my day meds, I have seizures. Because I believe that government assistance should be reserved for people like those with AIDS, I work. If I take my day meds I can't work. The consequence is that I have an occasional day seizure. Last year I cracked open my skull on the oven. Nice, huh? BUT I CONTRIBUTED TO THAT! I COULD HAVE KILLED MYSELF, right? I can't imagine anyone in an article or at my service saying, "well, but she really did deserve it. I mean she did go off her meds so that she could work and all. It truly was her own irresponsible behavior."
Think!
And, you read the book??????????????Or, you are making up some lie.
I will PM his name to anyone interested. The article is archived and must be purchased by the O.C. Register archives, but is absolutely true. I wasn't directing anything towards you. I also don't believe that Ryan White's story is any less heroic than my uncle's. I'm assuming your leap to calling me a liar was an emotional one. I don't have the luxury of letting myself get anymore emotionally involved into this discussion. My link to this debate is NOT about Ryan White and his heroics. I believe he was a heroic young man. A very tragic story. I was only trying to get one member to realize that there were thousands of men who were unaware that they were acting irresponsibly.
That horse has been beaten to death, and I don't feel comfortable being called a liar. There are easily verifiable facts in this world. This is definitely one of them. I can even provide you with his quilt square number, if you wish. Since Orange County is one of the places his section of the quilt visits on the tours, I could even meet you there to light a candle next time it comes around.
What made you think I was in some way attacking Ryan White? Actually, if you plan on answering that question, pm it, because I need to move away from threads that degrade to ad hom attacks, name calling, etc.