Hydea Broadbent, who was born with HIV and became a leading voice in raising awareness about the virus and AIDS as a child, died on Tuesday at her home in Las Vegas. She was 39 years old.
Her father, Lauren Broadbent, confirmed her death. No reason given.
Ms. Broadbent was 6 years old when she began sharing her struggle with HIV on television, hoping to educate the public about the epidemic of fear and stigma surrounding AIDS, he said. Her website.
In the year In 1992, at the age of 7, Ms. Broadbent was interviewed by basketball star Magic Johnson, who became a familiar face in the fight against HIV and AIDS after his own HIV diagnosis.
“I want people to know that we’re just people,” Ms. Broadbent told Mr. Johnson, her face breaking down as she fought back tears. “We’re just people,” she reassured her gently. Mr. Johnson He posted a clip of the conversation Online on Tax Wednesday.
“I think it opened a lot of people’s eyes to the fact that HIV can happen to anyone, when I was very young,” Ms. Broadbent told The New York Times in 2006 about an interview with Mr. Johnson.
Ms Broadbent, aged 12, shared her story with a large national television audience. According to the biography page on her website. She appeared at the age of 11The Oprah Winfrey Show” and talked about the countless health problems she faced as a child.
Heidea Lauren Broadbent was born on June 14, 1984 in a hospital in Las Vegas. She was abandoned at birth and adopted by Lauren and Patricia Broadbent, according to a biography on her website.
She was born with HIV but was not diagnosed until she was 3 years old.
The illness affected Ms. Broadbent’s education, keeping her out of school until the seventh grade. She was part of a program at Odyssey High School in Las Vegas that allowed her to work from home on a computer.
Her mother, Patricia, told The Times in a 2001 article about teenagers living with AIDS: “My daughter didn’t have a formal education because of her illness. My priority was not school, but keeping her healthy while she was there.
Ms. Broadbent continued to speak publicly about HIV and AIDS well into adulthood. Her work has earned her recognition, especially among African Americans. She was named one of Ebony magazine’s “150 Most Influential African Americans” twice, in 2008 and 2011, according to her biography.
As an adult, Ms. Broadbent focused on fighting the stigma and misinformation surrounding AIDS and educated the public about prevention.
“I have dedicated my whole life to this fight,” she said. He told CNN in 2012.. “I don’t hate my life. I feel truly blessed. But at the same time, my life doesn’t have to be theirs. I didn’t have a choice when it came to HIV/AIDS; And people have choices.
A full obituary follows.