The odds-defying HIV/AIDS activist, educator, and survivor Hydeia Broadbent is dead. She was 39 years old. According to reports, Hydeia died of natural causes in her sleep on February 20th.
Her father, Loren Broadbent, confirmed her passing in a Facebook post, as well as other friends and activists like Rae-Lewis Thorton and Magic Johnson. Hydeia found fame at the young age of 12 when she started her HIV/AIDS activism.
Before long, she became one of the Black poster children for AIDS on national television. In addition, she appeared on several TV shows. Some of the noteworthy shows include “The Oprah Winfrey Show,” “The Maury Povich Show,” and “Good Morning America.”
She was fearless and brave, inspiring thousands across the county at such a young age. At the 1996 Republican Convention, Hydeia stood in front of a large crowd and proclaimed, “I am the future, and I have AIDS.” She always wore a confident face, inspiring people with the illness.
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One of her most famous inspirations was the famous basketballer Magic Johnson, who is also HIV-positive. About 20-plus years ago, she was on a Nickelodeon AIDS special with him. There, she allowed herself to be vulnerable.
“I want people to know,” Hydeia said, sniffling, “that we’re just normal people.” “Aww, you don’t have to cry,” Johnson replied, “because we are normal people. OK? We are.” That moment touched the hearts of millions and helped to reduce a lot of prejudice against people with HIV/AIDS.
It also showed them that anyone can get HIV/AIDS. Hydeia, for example, was born HIV-positive. Magic Johnson was not, but contracted the disease after getting pricked with an infected needle while receiving treatment for a disease condition.
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Her story was not an easy one from the start. At birth, her parents abandoned her at the University Medical Center of Southern Nevada in Las Vegas. Doctors believed that she wouldn’t live past the age of five. This was because she was born positive and addicted to crack from the womb.
However, she defied the odds and lived till almost 40! A set of adoptive parents adopted her, but they didn’t find out about her diagnosis until she was three years old. Despite her difficult beginnings, Hydeia was a tough one.
She used her experience to educate and empower millions and cemented her legacy. Her family published a book titled “You Get Past The Tears” in 2002. It told her story from her perspective and helped to inform several others.
Furthermore, she represented the Magic Johnson Foundation since 2014, going around the world. She also helped other AIDS activist organizations to educate people about HIV/AIDS, promoting abstinence, safe-sex practices, and HIV/AIDS Awareness and prevention.
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“My life’s mission is met in two folds: first to use my life as a prevention tool for those who are HIV negative to make informed decisions to stay HIV negative, and also for those living with HIV/AIDS to find hope and inspiration not to allow HIV or AIDS to hold them back from living their best life,” she famously said.
“People think because I was born with HIV, my story does not apply to them. Well, this same disease I am living with is the same disease you can get if you are aware and informed. I use my testimony as a warning of what you don’t want to go through.”
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