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How One Teenager Changed the Way the World Sees AIDS

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In 1984, when Ryan White was diagnosed with AIDS, the disease itself was still mystified medical professionals. When his name became national news, some of the only things that were well-known about it were that it was terrifying and communicable.

White — who was 18 when he died 25 years ago, on April 8, 1990 — was a hemophiliac and had acquired HIV through a blood transfusion. In and around 1985, he made headlines by trying to attend middle school in his hometown of Kokomo, Ind. Though the state’s health department declared that it was fine for him to attend school as long as he was well enough, the district superintendent decided he would have to attend class by phoning in. His parents sued in response.

As TIME remarked as the case progressed, relatively few people were directly impacted by the case: fewer than 200 school-age Americans had been diagnosed with AIDS at the time. Fear among parents, many of whom were unaware that HIV could not be transmitted through casual contact, was disproportionate.

A year later, in the fall of 1986, White started eighth grade, thanks to a court order — and, then and in the years that followed, he put a familiar face on a disease that had seemed to many Americans to be distant or foreign. The sympathetic story of a young boy who just wanted to go to school ended up helping all AIDS sufferers get a fairer shake; in 1990, for example, shortly after he died, Congress passed his namesake act, which helps Americans get medical care for the disease. As Rev. Ray Probasco, a family friend of the Whites’ who eulogized Ryan, put it:

”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.”

Read TIME’s original 1985 coverage of White’s attempt to attend school, here in the TIME Vault: The AIDS Issue Hits the Schools

The Photo That Changed the Face of AIDS

David Kirby on his deathbed, Ohio, 1990.
David Kirby on his deathbed, Ohio, 1990.Therese Frare
In another of Therese Frare's photos taken in the final moments of David Kirby's life, his caregiver and friend, Peta; David's father; and David's sister, Susan, say goodbye.
In another of Therese Frare's photos taken in the final moments of David Kirby's life, his caregiver and friend, Peta; David's father; and David's sister, Susan, say goodbye.Therese Frare
Bill Kirby tries to comfort his dying son, David, 1990.
Bill Kirby tries to comfort his dying son, David, 1990.Therese Frare
A nurse at Pater Noster House in Ohio holds David Kirby's hands not long before he died, spring 1990.
A nurse at Pater Noster House in Ohio holds David Kirby's hands not long before he died, spring 1990.Therese Frare
David Kirby, Ohio, 1990.
David Kirby, Ohio, 1990.Therese Frare
David Kirby's mother, Kay, holds a photograph of her son -- taken by Ohio photographer Art Smith -- before AIDS took its toll.
David Kirby's mother, Kay, holds a photograph of her son -- taken by Ohio photographer Art Smith -- before AIDS took its toll.Therese Frare
Peta, a volunteer at Pater Noster House in Ohio, cares for a dying David Kirby, 1990.
Peta, a volunteer at Pater Noster House in Ohio, cares for a dying David Kirby, 1990.Therese Frare
Peta lies on a couch in a home rented by Pater Noster House, 1991. After the infamous ad ran, Benetton donated money to Pater Noster, some of which was used to furnish the house where Peta and other patients stayed.
Peta lies on a couch in a home rented by Pater Noster House, 1991. After the infamous ad ran, Benetton donated money to Pater Noster, some of which was used to furnish the house where Peta and other patients stayed.Therese Frare
Peta on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation, July 1991. "Peta could be a handful at times," Therese Frare told LIFE.com, "but there was a great deal of joy in our relationship. He wasn't like anyone I'd ever met."
Peta on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation, July 1991. "Peta could be a handful at times," Therese Frare told LIFE.com, "but there was a great deal of joy in our relationship. He wasn't like anyone I'd ever met."Therese Frare
Peta swims in a lake on the Pine Ridge (Lakota) Indian Reservation in South Dakota, during a trip home with photographer Therese Frare in July 1991.
Peta swims in a lake on the Pine Ridge (Lakota) Indian Reservation in South Dakota, during a trip home with photographer Therese Frare in July 1991.Therese Frare
Peta at the Pine Ridge (Lakota) Indian Reservation in South Dakota, during a trip home with Therese Frare in July 1991.
Peta at the Pine Ridge (Lakota) Indian Reservation in South Dakota, during a trip home with Therese Frare in July 1991.Therese Frare
Peta in Ohio, 1991.
Peta in Ohio, 1991.Therese Frare
Peta in bed at Pater Noster House, 1992.
Peta in bed at Pater Noster House, 1992.Therese Frare
Scene at Pater Noster House, Ohio, 1991.
Scene at Pater Noster House, Ohio, 1991.Therese Frare
Peta at Pater Noster House, 1992.
Peta at Pater Noster House, 1992.Therese Frare
Peta with Bill and Kay Kirby at Pater Noster House, 1992. "I made up my mind," Kay Kirby said, "when David was dying and Peta was helping to care for him, that when Peta's time came -- and we all knew it would come -- that we would care for him. There was never any question. We were going to take care of Peta. That was that."
Peta with Bill and Kay Kirby at Pater Noster House, 1992. "I made up my mind," Kay Kirby said, "when David was dying and Peta was helping to care for him, that when Peta's time came -- and we all knew it would come -- that we would care for him. There was never any question. We were going to take care of Peta. That was that."Therese Frare
Kay Kirby administers medicine to Peta via an IV, 1992.
Kay Kirby administers medicine to Peta via an IV, 1992.Therese Frare
Peta and Bill Kirby share a quiet moment together in Peta's room, Ohio, 1992.
Peta and Bill Kirby share a quiet moment together in Peta's room, Ohio, 1992.Therese Frare
Peta in hospice, Columbus, Ohio, 1992.
Peta in hospice, Columbus, Ohio, 1992.Therese Frare
Bill and Kay Kirby, 1992.
Bill and Kay Kirby, 1992.Therese Frare

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Write to Lily Rothman at lily.rothman@time.com