Through Her Tears, Compassion, and Hope, Hydeia Loren Broadbent Changed the Narrative on HIV/AIDS

By: Ranier Simons, ADAP Blog Guest Contributor

Hydeia Loren Broadbent came into this world on June 14, 1984, and the sun set on her life on February 20, 2024.[1] Having been born with HIV, she literally spent her entire life as an advocate for HIV/AIDS prevention and awareness. Hydeia was diagnosed with HIV at a time when HIV was a death sentence, before the advent of the antiviral medications available today, and when HIV/AIDS stigma and fear ran high due to the unknown. As a child, the doctors predicted she would only have a life span of a few years, yet Hydeia defied their odds and lived 39 full, powerful years dedicating her life to making change.

Photo Source: hydeiabroadbent.com

Normalcy and compassion were what Hydeia desired and were the messages she promulgated. When she was seven years old, during a Nickelodeon news special, she told Earvin “Magic” Johnson, “I want people to know that we’re just normal people.”[4] HIV/AIDS carried a dark stigma during Hydeia’s earliest years as it was viewed as an intravenous drug user and gay men’s disease. Before Hydeia’s journey, Ryan White had to legally fight for the right to attend public schools in Indiana, far away from Hydeia’s home of Las Vegas, Nevada, before he died in 1990. Even though she was able to start public school, she endured travesties and abuses no child should have had to process. One time in kindergarten, a teacher aware of her HIV status sprayed Clorox bleach on her when she sneezed.[2] After that incident, Hydeia was homeschooled with tutors until she started junior high school.[2]

Hydeia was born with HIV in 1984 but was not diagnosed until the age of three. She was adopted at six weeks of age before HIV testing was normalized. Hydeia’s birth mother was denied custody due to drug addiction, hence Hydeia ended up in the adoptive system.[2] Hydeia’s adoptive parents had her tested when they were notified by health officials her birth mother had given birth to another child that she and the child were HIV positive. By age five, Hydeia’s condition had progressed to AIDS. She was one of the first pediatric patients treated with AZT. Rubgie Lucas, an infectious disease investigator in Clark County, where Vegas is located, remembered Hydeia stating, "We had to learn how to treat her because the adult medication was too strong."[3] Anthony S. Fauci remembers treating Hydeia at the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Regarding her life, he stated, “her accomplishments are substantial.”[2]

Hydeia touched many lives both domestically and internationally. She traveled around the world spreading awareness about HIV/AIDS, advocating for treatment and care, and promoting prevention through abstinence and safer sex practices. She is well known for her activism and high-profile public speaking moments, such as when she was on the Oprah Winfrey Show at age 11. Her passion and mission also gave her a platform on shows such as Good Morning America and 20/20.[5] Hydeia was featured in many publications such as The New York Times, People, National Geographic, Ebony, POZ, and was even on the cover of TV Guide.[5] Her knowledge, poise, and personable nature opened doors for many speaking engagements. She spoke to audiences singularly and as a part of panels at institutions such as Morehouse School of Medicine, Duke University, and UCLA. In 2006, Hydeia was a speaker at the International AIDS Conference.

Photo Source: hydeiabroadbent.com

Hydeia gave of herself selflessly while simultaneously dealing with her own humanity. As she spoke to the world as a child, she still dealt with serious health issues such as blood infections, brain fungus, and heart issues. While navigating the demands of being a very public figure, she had to deal with her personal life. She expressed how hard it was to date given her diagnosis yet was optimistic about finding love and being married one day. During her teen years, at the height of her speaking and advocacy, she dealt with depression and perfection anxiety to the point of resenting being such a public figure and speaking to the world. She stated during an episode of Where Are They Now on Oprah’s OWN network that she had to find her inner peace.

In 39 years, Hydeia experienced more life than most people could handle or even comprehend, no matter how long they lived. She experienced HIV/AIDS from the very beginning before there were many treatments through the advent of antiviral drug cocktails. Her life and message touched millions internationally. Hydeia represented children born with HIV, was the face of African American women living with HIV and was a pioneer who forged her way just like Ryan White. She was once quoted as saying, “…with all that we know about the virus, it is clear to me that contracting HIV/AIDS today is a choice, and we can’t allow anyone the power to make that choice for us!”. Hydeia’s legacy is a life fulfilled and a continuing burning torch of compassion and hope to continue to be passed along until we one day conquer HIV/AIDS.

[1] Schilken, C. (2024, February 2022). Hydeia Broadbent, who teamed up with Magic Johnson in HIV/AIDS fight, dies at 39. Retrieved from https://www.msn.com/en-us/health/other/hydeia-broadbent-who-teamed-up-with-magic-johnson-in-hivaids-fight-dies-at-39/ar-BB1iJLdt?ocid=socialshare

[2] Langer, E. (2024, February 23). Hydeia Broadbent, young activist for HIV/AIDS awareness, dies at 39. Retrieved from http://www.washingtonpost.com/obituaries/2024/02/23/hydeia-broadbent-hiv-aids-dead/

[3] Nomura, A. (2024, February 27). Retired county disease investigator reflects on late HIV/AIDS activist from Las Vegas. Retrieved from https://www.msn.com/en-us/health/other/retired-county-disease-investigator-reflects-on-late-hivaids-activist-from-las-vegas/ar-BB1j04HL?ocid=socialshare

[4] Kornelis, C. (2024, February 23). Hydeia Broadbent, Who Helped Change the Conversation About HIV/AIDS, Dies at 39. Retrieved from https://www.msn.com/en-us/health/other/hydeia-broadbent-who-helped-change-the-conversation-about-hivaids-dies-at-39/ar-BB1iMwJU?ocid=socialshare

[5] BounceTV. (2020). Community Activist Award 2020 Trumpet Award Bio. Retrieved from https://www.trumpetawards.com/award-honoree/hydeia-broadbent/1184/#:~:text=Broadbent%20is%20also%20considered%20a,Award%20and%20an%20Essence%20Award.

Disclaimer: Guest blogs do not necessarily reflect the views of the ADAP Advocacy Association, but rather they provide a neutral platform whereby the author serves to promote open, honest discussion about public health-related issues and updates. 

Profiles in Courage Defending Public Health: Anthony Fauci, MD

By: Brandon M. Macsata, CEO, ADAP Advocacy Association

"When you're involved in a race to stop a horrible disease, you always feel you're not doing things quickly enough." – Anthony Fauci, MD

Physician. Scientist. Researcher. Immunologist. Advisor. Husband. Father. And to millions of others... Luminary. Yet, standing at only five feet seven inches, Anthony Fauci, MD – who serves as this nation's Director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) and the Chief Medical Advisor to President Joseph R. Biden, Jr. – is larger than life with many of today's advocates working in public health. Dr. Fauci didn't enter his professional career seeking the headlines or interviews or fame, but two ongoing global pandemics sealed his fate. 

The intersection between the HIV/AIDS epidemic and the Covid-19 pandemic has become the new normal. Although one has sidetracked the progress that was being made on the other, there are undeniable nuances linking the two of them. The origin of the virus... slow initial governmental response... media-driven hyperbole... fearmongering Southern Republican Senators... hope-inspiring clinical trials... advent of the new medications/vaccines, and oh yeah... Anthony Fauci.

Maybe equally as important, Fauci survived four years of the Trump presidency. That in and of itself is significant considering the guy who lost the 2020 presidential election spent most of his tenure in office attacking science, undermining proven public health programs, and belittling (or firing) career public servants. Yet, it is hard to imagine the public health landscape during either crisis without Fauci's steady hand.

Photo Source: Jabin Botsford / The Washington Post via Getty Images

The HIV community's Old Guard has come to respect Fauci, in fact, despite a bumpy start back in the 1980s. The HIV community's New Generation credits Fauci for saving their lives, ironically, before many of them were even born. There are striking similarities between the two global pandemics. Forty years ago, one president said nothing, literally, as the Old Guard was forced to bury their friends, family, and neighbors. Body bags darkened the evening broadcast news. Back then, loud mouths and misinformation strangled the science. Last year, another president said absolutely crazy things (i.e., bleach, anyone?) as everyone witnessed the world turning upside-down. Again, not one evening news broadcast ended without images of the body bags. And yet again, loud mouths and misinformation strangled the science. Sadly both times, millions died...needlessly. Fortunately, then and now, people like Anthony Fauci were working in public service and dedicating their lives to public health.

National Geographic's latest project, "FAUCI: FROM THE FRONTLINES OF ONE PANDEMIC TO THE HEADLINES OF ANOTHER," dissects the calling to public service that has defined Fauci's career. The film turns the clock back to AIDS' darkest days, which Fauci reveals that he has post-traumatic stress syndrome from it. The unprecedented portrait of one of America’s most vital public servants also reveals Fauci's clairvoyance:

"I wrote an article in 1981 saying that if we think this disease is going to stay confined to a discreet group of people and it's not going to explode, we're kidding ourselves," Fauci said. "A major journal rejected it and said I was being too alarmist."[1]

Photo Source: Disney+

The documentary also provides a glimpse into how Fauci's commitment to science didn't ignore the concerns being expressed by the patient advocacy community. It features ACT UP's Peter Staley, who evolved from fierce foe to personal friend of the 50+ year public health official. Such relationships between activists and government yielded positive changes, including the future design of our clinical trials.

In fact, Mark S. King brilliantly captured the blissful dynamics of the Staley-Fauci friendship last year in his My Fabulous Disease blog, Peter Staley Just Unmasked Anthony Fauci and It Is Fabulous. "Staley, an icon of AIDS activism, must have done some awfully persuasive cajoling to convince his one-time nemesis to chat with him in such an unguarded way," King wrote at the time.[2]

What is probably the most striking take-away from the new National Geographic film, or even the aforementioned Staley interview, is the unlikeliness that strange bedfellows will emerge between Fauci and his present day critics over Covid-19. The sad truth is the right-wing media, namely FOX News and ONE America News, have vilified the man who has dedicated his life to saving the lives of others... including my own. The result is too many politicians have opted to put ambition-driven politics over their country.

Starting in the 1980s, AIDS defined a generation. Starting in 2020, Covid-19 nearly brought the world to its knees. Despite the challenges from both public health crises, Dr. Anthony Fauci has worked tirelessly to ensure neither one robbed us of even more of our family, friends, and neighbors. Fauci didn't do it for the famed Bobblehead or the catchy Hashtag (#fauciouchie). He did it for us!

[1] Fiore, Kristina (2021, October 5). New Fauci Documentary: 'You Don't Get Intimidated' — Anthony Fauci gets personal in new film, opens up about Trump admin and history repeating. MedPage Today. Retrieved online at https://www.medpagetoday.com/special-reports/exclusives/94864?xid=nl_mpt_DHE_2021-10-06&eun=g1295317d0r&utm_source=Sailthru&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Daily%20Headlines%20Top%20Cat%20HeC%20%202021-10-06&utm_term=NL_Daily_DHE_dual-gmail-definition
[2] King, Mark S. (2020, September 26). Peter Staley Just Unmasked Anthony Fauci and It Is Fabulous. My Fabulous Disease. Retrieved online at https://marksking.com/my-fabulous-disease/peter-staley-just-unmasked-anthony-fauci-and-it-is-fabulous/

Disclaimer: Guest blogs do not necessarily reflect the views of the ADAP Advocacy Association, but rather they provide a neutral platform whereby the author serves to promote open, honest discussion about public health-related issues and updates.

Making U=U Foundational in Our Efforts to End the HIV Epidemic

By: Murray Penner, U.S, Executive Director, Prevention Access Campaign/U=U

Undetectable = Untransmittable, or U=U, was created in July 2016, BY people living with HIV (along with leading researchers and other advocates), FOR people with HIV. The U=U campaign is approaching the fifth anniversary of its launch. As such, it is the perfect time to expand the U=U message with an advocacy focus on how U=U contributes to ending the HIV epidemic. 

Photo Source: Prevention Access Campaign

The medications people with HIV take to stay healthy also make it impossible for them to pass on HIV. That’s because when people are on effective HIV treatment, their HIV is suppressed in the body to such low levels that it’s undetectable by most lab tests. And when one’s viral load is undetectable, HIV also is not transmitted through sex. 

The U=U message is revolutionary and has a positive impact on people’s lives and on ending the epidemic:  

• U=U improves the well-being of people with HIV, transforming their social, sexual, and reproductive lives.
• U=U reduces the anxiety associated with HIV testing and adds an incentive for people with HIV to start and stay on treatment and in care. 
• U=U dismantles stigma on individual and community levels. 
• U=U provides a strong public health rationale for universal access to treatment, care, and support services. We refer to this as the U=U public health strategy.   

The U=U public health strategy is important to use in advocacy efforts. It works like this: When people with HIV have the treatment, care, and support services they need to stay undetectable, they remain healthy, and they cannot transmit HIV through sex. In other words, care and treatment is good for the personal health of people with HIV and good for the public health of the community. 

Photo Source: The Lancet

In a recent article in The Lancet, prominent U.S. leaders called for action to end the HIV epidemic. Among other strategies, it prioritizes the inclusion of U=U in efforts to end the HIV epidemic. 

One strategy in The Lancet article states that “Advocates should be equipped to use the so-called public health argument from U=U in advocacy to increase access and remove barriers to quality health care; ensuring people with HIV have the treatment and services they need to achieve and maintain an undetectable viral load. This not only saves lives, but also is an effective way to prevent new transmissions.” In keeping with this recommendation, PAC has created this U=U resource for use in advocacy efforts.As we continue our focus on ending the epidemic, advocacy is critical to make U=U a foundational strategy of our efforts. U=U is essential for the well-being and health of people with HIV. And it’s also critical for ending the epidemic, because U=U also prevents transmission. 

Dr. Anthony Fauci, Director of NIAID at the NIH and chief medical advisor to President Joe Biden, says it best, stating that “U=U is the foundation of being able to end the HIV epidemic.”

Photo Source: NBC

Disclaimer: Guest blogs do not necessarily reflect the views of the ADAP Advocacy Association, but rather they provide a neutral platform whereby the author serves to promote open, honest discussion about public health-related issues and updates.