In 1984, Ryan White was diagnosed with AIDS that he contracted from a blood transfusion. When the 13-year-old tried to return to school in Kokomo, Indiana, hundreds of parents and teachers petitioned to have him removed, and his family was forced to leave town after a bullet was fired at their house
"People would get up and leave so they would not have to sit anywhere near me. Even at church, people would not shake my hand."
Ryan White was just 13 years old when he was diagnosed with AIDS. A hemophiliac since birth, the Indiana teen contracted HIV through a tainted blood transfusion — yet he was bullied and ostracized by his peers and the community at large for having the "gay disease." But the brave teenager persevered and helped change the negative stigma around the disease before dying at age 18.
Read more of his heart-wrenching story here: https://allthatsinteresting.com/ryan-white