In the early to mid-80s, AIDS was a polarizing topic. Then Ryan White, a 12-year-old hemophiliac from Kokomo who contracted HIV from a blood transfusion, shifted the conversation.
The media coverage that sent Ryan’s story worldwide showed a nation coming to terms with the fact that this disease could happen to anyone. Now, more than 29 years after his death, PBS’s Retro Report is re-examining the AIDS crisis of the 1980s with a focus on Ryan White’s story.
Today on All IN we talk with Ryan’s mother, Jeanne White-Ginder, as well as Retro Report’s Meral Agish about the life and legacy of Ryan White.
Produced by Matt Pelsor.
Guests:
Jeanne White-Ginder
Mother of Ryan White
Meral Agish
Producer, Retro Report