Hydeia Broadbent, who was born with HIV and spearheaded efforts to raise awareness about the virus and AIDS from an early age, died Tuesday at her home in Las Vegas. She was 39 years old.
Her father, Lauren Broadbent, confirmed the death. No cause was given.
Broadbent was six years old when he began telling his story on television, with the aim of educating the public during an epidemic that created panic and stigma about AIDS. . her website.
In 1992, when she was 7 years old, Ms. Broadbent was interviewed opposite Magic Johnson. Johnson is a basketball star who has become a familiar face in the fight against HIV and AIDS since receiving his own HIV diagnosis.
“I want people to know that we are normal people,” Broadbent told Johnson, her face crumpled as she fought back tears. “We’re normal people,” he reassured her gently.Mr. Johnson I posted a clip of the conversation online in tribute Wednesday.
Broadbent told the New York Times in 2006 of her interview with Johnson: “I was young and I think it opened a lot of people’s eyes to know that HIV can happen to anyone.” he said.
By the time Ms. Broadbent was 12 years old, she was telling her story to a large national television audience. According to her website’s bio page. At the age of 11, she appeared in “The Stars”.oprah winfrey show” and talked about the myriad health issues she overcame as a toddler.
Hydeia Loren Broadbent was born on June 14, 1984 in a Las Vegas hospital. According to her biography on her website, she was abandoned at birth and she was adopted by Lauren and Patricia Broadbent.
She was born with HIV but was not diagnosed until she was three years old.
The disease affected Mr. Broadbent’s learning and prevented him from attending school until the seventh grade. At Odyssey High School in Las Vegas, she participated in a program that allowed her to work from her home on a computer.
“My daughter was denied formal education because of her illness,” her mother, Patricia, told The Times in 2001 for an article about teens living with AIDS. “My priority was to keep her healthy for a limited time, not school.”
Broadbent continued to speak out publicly about HIV and AIDS as an adult. Her accomplishments were particularly recognized among African Americans. According to her biography, she was twice named to Ebony magazine’s “150 Most Influential African Americans” in 2008 and 2011.
As an adult, Ms. Broadbent focused on combating stigma and misinformation about AIDS and educating the public about prevention.
“I have dedicated my entire life to this fight,” she said. 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 their life. I didn’t have a choice when it came to HIV/AIDS, but… People have a choice.”
Full obituary follows.
