Ryan White, 18, Who Battled AIDS Since 1984, Reported Near Death

Hemophiliac Ryan White, whose battle with AIDS brought him scorn in his hometown but support from across the world, was hospitalized with internal bleeding Monday and was not expected to live, authorities said.

Doctors said Monday afternoon that White, now 18, probably would not survive the day, Carrie Van Dyke, director of health promotion for the State Board of Health, reported. However, White’s chief physician, Dr. Martin B. Kleiman, refused to speculate on White’s prognosis.

Van Dyke said White’s mother, Jeanne, and his sister, Andrea, were among the relatives with him at Riley Hospital for Children.

White’s hemophilia prevented doctors from operating, Van Dyke said. He contracted AIDS through blood products he received to treat the hemophilia, a disorder that impairs the blood’s ability to clot and stop bleeding.

Kleiman, White’s physician since he was found to have AIDS in 1984, said that White had been admitted to the hospital Thursday suffering from a respiratory infection, which occurred as a complication of AIDS.

White became a national spokesman for children with AIDS after winning a court fight to attend school near Kokomo. However, he and his family felt ostracized and moved about 20 miles to Cicero, where they were welcomed.

Last week, White appeared with former President Ronald Reagan and his wife, Nancy, at a pre-Oscar party in Los Angeles for sick and disadvantaged youths.