Xref: utzoo sci.med.aids:1843 soc.motss:27510 Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!mailrus!cs.utexas.edu!usc!ucla-cs!JONESRA%AQUA.decnet@silver.ucs.indiana.edu From: JONESRA%AQUA.decnet@silver.ucs.indiana.edu (REX A. JONES 857-9563) Newsgroups: sci.med.aids,soc.motss Subject: Ryan White's effect in life... Message-ID: <34008@shemp.CS.UCLA.EDU> Date: 9 Apr 90 01:22:15 GMT Sender: news@CS.UCLA.EDU Lines: 41 Approved: phil@wubios.wustl.edu Copyright: Copyright 1990 by Daniel R. Greening. All rights reserved. Copyright: The sci.med.aids newsgroup may be reproduced freely for Copyright: non-commercial use only. Archive-number: 1947 Ryan White died this morning at the James Whitcomb Riley Hospital for Children in Indianapolis. He died of complications due to AIDS. He was perhaps the most visible non-celebrety person with AIDS. It goes without saying that I think that it would have been much better if Ryan would never had come down with the disease. It would have been much better for him if he would have been spared the trauma of his original town throwing him out of school, it would have been better if he wouldn't have had to move to a new town, it would have been better if he could have lived the regular life of an average Indiana teenager, it would have been better if he could have finished high school, it would have been better if he could then have gone to college or gotten a job, it would have been better if he could have gotten married and had children, it would have been better if he could have grown old and died a peaceful death due to old age. It would have been better for him, and us, if there wasn't a disease called AIDS. I don't think anyone could ask for more for a person. There is joy, however, in the way Ryan White faced his life: We all can share in that joy. Ryan taught his home state that PWAs were not to be feared. Ryan taught anyone who knew of him what courage in the face of adversity was. Ryan taught everybody that having a disease that was fatal did not mean that a life had end with the diagnosis. Ryan taught us all that living with AIDS was possible, and that those with AIDS did not have to live their lives without dignity. The sad point to all of this, is that we would not have known Ryan if he did not have the disease. He would have been just another teenager from Indiana living his life as he saw fit. It is sad that he had to suffer and die from AIDS for us to find out about what a fine expample of humanity he was. I for one, while never having met Ryan White, shall never forget his example for the rest of us to follow. -------------- "Violence is the last refuge of the incompetent." --Salvor Hardin -------------- jonesra@silver.ucs.indiana.edu |One of these sigs should work. JONESRA%AQUA.decnet@silver.ucs.indiana.edu|This is not an official IU jonesra@iuqua.bitnet |document. This posting does jonesra@aqua.ucs.indiana.edu |not reflect the views of IU |unless by coincidence.