Hydeia Broadbent, the longtime activist who became famous for living with HIV/AIDS as a child, has died at the age of 39.
On Wednesday, her father, Loren Broadbent, announced her death on Facebook.
“It is with great sadness that I must inform you all that our beloved friend, mentor and daughter Hydeia passed away today after living with AIDS since birth,” he wrote alongside her photo. “Despite facing many challenges throughout her life, Hydeia remained determined to spread hope and positivity through HIV/AIDS education.”
Broadbent’s activism began at a young age. She was abandoned as a baby at the University of Southern Nevada Medical Center in Las Vegas, where she was later adopted. She was diagnosed as HIV positive at the age of 3 with progression to AIDS, although it was assumed that she had the disease from birth. Doctors told Broadbent’s parents that she would not live to be five.
As a child, Broadbent appeared on a Nickelodeon HIV/AIDS special with Magic Johnson in 1992, shortly after the basketball star shared his own HIV diagnosis with the world. She has also told her story on numerous television programs including Oprah, 20/20and Good morning America.
“Hydeia changed the world with her courage, speaking about how living with HIV has affected her life since birth,” Johnson wrote in tribute to X, formerly known as Twitter. “She dedicated her life to activism and became a catalyst for change in the fight against HIV/AIDS. By speaking out at such a young age, she helped so many people, young and old, because she wasn’t afraid to share her story and let everyone see that those who living with HIV and AIDS are ordinary people and should be treated with respect.”
“Thanks to Hydeia, millions have been educated, stigmas have been broken, and attitudes about HIV/AIDS have been changed. We will miss her strong voice in this world. Cookie and I are praying for the Broadbent family and all who knew and loved Hydeia,” Johnson added.
“I am the future, but I have AIDS. I can do anything I put my mind to,” the 12-year-old activist declared as she recited the poem at the 1996 Republican National Convention. “I’m the next doctor. I am the next lawyer. I am the next Maya Angelou. I might even be the first female president… You can’t crush my dream. I am the future, and I have AIDS.”
Hydeia Broadbent.
Robin L Marshall/Getty
Over the years, Broadbent has dedicated herself to educating those living with HIV/AIDS about abstinence, safe sex practices and prevention awareness. She said her mission is “simply to inform and create dialogue about HIV/AIDS in our homes, communities, educational institutions and churches.”
“People think my story doesn’t apply to them because I was born with HIV,” she wrote on her website. “Well, this same disease that I live with is the same disease that you can get if you are aware and informed. I use my testimony as a warning that you don’t want to go through.”
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Following the news of her death, Jurnee Smollett shared a heartfelt message about Broadbent as the two had been best friends since she was 13.
“Witnessing her constant triumph over tragedy and using her time here as a beacon of hope was like witnessing the divine in motion,” she wrote alongside a video compilation of their friendship over the years. “My warrior wife, who literally fought her whole life to save the lives of others, Hydeia raised awareness and fought to destigmatize the issues surrounding HIV/AIDS. Hydeia made us all better. SHE LITERALLY PAVED PATHS WHERE THERE WASN’T ONE. She and I have grown into women together and Hydeia has been a great inspiration for me to use my life for a greater purpose.”
Smollett continued: “I thank God for her light, her will. I will miss her laugh, her dancing, her joyful smile that lit up her beautiful big cheeks, her terrible taste in TV shows, her hilarious way of making fun of how I’m a really boring nerd inside, our drives listening to music really loud, the tears we shed because heartbroken, the way she wore her heart on her sleeve and couldn’t get through a motivational speech without crying at some point. Courage was her middle name. A literal goddess with otherworldly power. A warrior’s heart that fought to the end. Rest well, beauty. I love you forever, Deia. #RIP 💔💔💔 #HydeiaBroadbent.”
Fellow AIDS activist and author Rae Lewis-Thornton also offered his condolences.
“I am saddened to announce that renowned AIDS activist Hydeia Broadbent has passed away today,” she posted on X, formerly Twitter. “Over the years, our paths crossed so much that we became friends. Rest my sister Rest. Your legacy will live on forever. Good and faithful servant, well done ❤️🙏🏽 I love you Deia.”
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Source: HIS Education