HAPPY BIRTHDAY, RYAN

Had he lived, Ryan White would be 40 years old today.  It seems hard to imagine that he's been gone for 22 years.  Yet, it seems even harder to imagine that all of his acccomplishments happened in a brief five years - from the ages of 13 until 18.

Growing up, children often think of how we'll change the world around us.  Some of us dream to be teachers, impacting the world by educating those around us.  Others imagine themselves to be firefighters, military service people, or police officers.  The goal is to improve the world around them by protecting those that we love.  Still, others have loftier goals and they dream of changing the world by being senators, congressmen or even the President of the United States.  The common thread in all of these childhood dreams is that we can change the world.  I doubt, however, that any child dreams that they will be a martyr - dying for their cause.  Ryan White didn't live to see his dreams come true, but he instead had martyrdom forced upon him.

A hemophiliac since birth, Ryan White was one of the first children and one of the first hemophiliacs to be diagnosed with HIV/AIDS.  Ryan was diagnosed in 1984 - when HIV/AIDS was still very new and little was known about how it was spread.  Ryan's innocence stood in stark contrast to the spectre of AIDS infected homosexuals.  He forced discussions on an issue that people were uncomfortable with - and he caused a nation to deal with the pandemic that was beating down it's door.

Ryan gained notoriety because he wanted to go to school.  His family fought - and won - court battles to allow him to attend school with his friends.  His family fought for his chance to be NORMAL.  Ryan White was critical in educating a nation that HIV/AIDS can happen to anyone.  He showed a world that HIV is not a "gay" disease.  He taught a country that HIV/AIDs can not be spread through casual contact - and that positive people need not live a life any different than anyone else.

At the age of 18, Ryan White died on April 8, 1990, just months before Congress passed the AIDS bill that bears his name – the Ryan White CARE (Comprehensive AIDS Resources Emergency) Act. The legislation has been reauthorized four times since – in 1996, 2000, 2006, and 2009 – and is now called the Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program.  Because of one little boy's courage - and his desire for normalcy - people are better educated about the facts of HIV/AIDS and have more access to drugs that allow them to live longer, healthier, happier lives.

Happy Birthday, Ryan.  In your short life, you changed the world.  I can only imagine what you would have accomplished had you been given the time.