American Notes VOICES

In 1985, at 13, Ryan White became a symbol of the intolerance that is inflicted on AIDS victims. Once it became known that White, a hemophiliac, had contracted the disease from a tainted blood transfusion, school officials banned him from classes in Kokomo, Ind. His family moved to Cicero, Ind., where he lived until his death on April 8. Last week the Rev. Ray Probasco, a family friend, delivered the eulogy at White's funeral. Said he: "Not much was known about the disease back then. So very quickly a great deal of fear permeated Ryan's community. At first, Ryan and the disease were perceived as one and the same. In time, we saw the boy and the disease, and they were not the same. It was Ryan who first humanized the disease called AIDS. He allowed us to see the boy who just wanted, more than anything else, to be like other children and to be able to go to school.

"And children began asking Ryan, 'Are you afraid to die?' And Ryan responded, 'Everyone's going to die. If I die, I know I'm going to a better place.' I believe that God gave us ((a)) miracle in Ryan. He healed a wounded spirit in the world and made it whole."