Ryan White's Mother Donated His Entire Bedroom to a Children's Museum — They Built a Replica

The Centers for Disease Control published its first known cases of HIV in the United States on June 5, 1981. It wasn't called HIV yet, but that's what it was. An article in the Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR) described cases of a rare lung infection in five previously healthy gay men.

A little over two months later, another piece in the MMWR cited 70 additional cases since July 3. By the end of 1981, there were 337 reported cases, 16 of which were children under the age of 13.

There are a few ways HIV can be transmitted: unprotected sex, sharing needles, from mother to infant, and blood transfusions. That last one is how Ryan White was infected with HIV when he was 13 years old in December 1984.

He suffered from severe hemophilia, which required weekly transfusions. Ryan was given six months to live and lasted another six years. Decades after his death, Ryan's bedroom was recreated at a children's museum using his personal possessions. Here's what we know.

After Ryan's diagnosis became public information, he and his family were harassed in their small town of Kokomo, Ind. It got so bad that they moved to the nearby city of Cicero. Jeanne White, Ryan's mother, was able to buy a new house thanks to a loan from Sir Elton John, who, like many, became familiar with Ryan's tragic story, per the Library of Congress.

In the summer of 1987, when Ryan was 15, Pulitzer Prize-winning photographer Taro Yamasaki was asked to photograph the White family for People. Despite the fact that it was incredibly hot outside, Ryan was always cold. The air conditioning was off in their house.

"There were still packing boxes in Ryan’s room from the recent move," recalled Taro. He photographed Ryan's room, not possibly knowing that decades later, this same room would make a huge difference in the lives of strangers.

On Nov. 10, 2007, Ryan's bedroom became part of the Power of Children exhibit at The Children's Museum of Indianapolis, reported the Kokomo Tribune. The permanent collection focuses on the "lives of three children that had an impact on how the world views discrimination and prejudice." Anne Frank and Ruby Bridges are the other children whose stories are part of the exhibit.

Ryan's mother provided photographs of her son's bedroom so the curators could do a faithful recreation of his personal space. She also donated everything that was in his room. "There are certain things we want out all the time," said educator and curator for the American Collection at the museum, Andrea Hughes.

"Like his big fuzzy slippers which he wore all the time because he was always cold." Setting up the exhibit took years as the museum had the contents of Ryan's room since 2001.

Certain items were lit, while a narrator explained their significance. Things like an autographed photo of Elton John alongside a stuffed bear he gave Ryan were included. In a 2015 post to the museum's website, Andrea explained that Ryan's notebooks are some of her favorite items in the exhibit.

"You can see his doodles and other fun notes from classmates written in them." She said installing this exhibit was a highlight of her work at the museum.