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Hydeia Broadbent, a lifelong AIDS and HIV activist, has died, her family announced.
She was 39 years old.
“It is with great sadness that I must inform everyone that our dear friend, mentor and daughter, Hydeia, passed away today after living with AIDS since birth,” her father, Loren Broadbent, wrote in a statement. Facebook post. “Despite facing numerous challenges throughout her life, Hydeia remained determined to spread hope and positivity through HIV/AIDS education.”
Broadbent, born with HIV in 1984, began raising awareness about the virus during her early years.
She made national headlines when she appeared as a guest on television shows such as “The Oprah Winfrey Show” at age 11 and “Good Morning America.” Additionally, he spoke at the 1996 Republican convention in San Diego, California.
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Hydeia Broadbent was adopted after being abandoned
According to their websiteBroadbent was adopted at birth by her parents after being abandoned at the University Medical Center of Southern Nevada in Las Vegas.
At three years old, doctors diagnosed the girl with HIV.
Before becoming a teenager, she became a public voice for the virus and later partnered with the AIDS Healthcare Foundation on several AIDS awareness and advocacy campaigns, including its “God Loves Me” advertising campaign.
Broadbent dedicated her time to “spreading the message of HIV/AIDS awareness and prevention, through: promoting abstinence, safe sexual practices (for people who choose to have sex), and HIV/AIDS awareness and prevention” , according to their website.
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What is HIV?
HIV, the human immunodeficiency virus, attacks the body’s immune system and, according to the Centers for Disease Control, if left untreated can cause AIDS (acquired immunodeficiency syndrome).
According HIV.gov, Nearly 1.2 million people in the United States have HIV. Of them, the agency reports, about 13 percent do not know they have the virus.
“The world has seen me grow from a talented girl to a woman with the passion and mission to ensure that each and every one of us knows our HIV status, as well as the status of our sexual partners,” she posted on the place. before her death. “To those living with HIV/AIDS, know that life never ends until you take your last breath! We are responsible for the decisions we make and I challenge everyone to be responsible.”
Funeral arrangements were not immediately known.
Natalie Neysa Alund is a senior reporter for USA TODAY. Contact her at nalund@usatoday.com and follow her on X @nataliealund.