BLOOMINGTON, Ind. (WRTV) — Indiana University on Wednesday unveiled a permanent memorial sculpture honoring Ryan White, who became the national face of AIDS in the 1980s.
The bronze statue, titled Keep Going, is located in the Indiana University Memorial Union in Bloomington. It depicts White as a teenager with a backpack and includes a space where visitors can leave notes of encouragement.
White died at the age of 18 in 1990 from AIDS-related pneumonia. He contracted AIDS from a contaminated blood treatment at the age of 13. He had long expressed a dream of attending Indiana University.
Funding for the memorial was provided in part by IU Dance Marathon and music icon Elton John.
His mother and sister attended Wednesday’s ceremony.
This article was written using a script that was aired on WRTV.
