Throwback Thursday: The Ryan White Story

On April 8th we remember Ryan White, a young activist who became the national symbol of the AIDS crisis. White’s fight against the AIDs stigma began in 1984 after his school barred him from attending classes following his diagnosis. Born with hemophilia, he contracted HIV just after his 13th birthday from a blood transfusion. While doctors insisted he posed no risk, the community around White’s Russiaville, Indiana, school voiced concerns that Ryan may transmit HIV through casual contact. When t