By Eric San Juan
Special to Texas Metro News
Hydeia Broadbent was an HIV/AIDS activist who, after being born HIV-positive, devoted her life to pushing for education and awareness of HIV/AIDS-related issues.
Hydeia Broadbent’s legacy
Broadbent was born with HIV and left at a hospital by her birth mother, who was unidentified. She was fostered by Loren and Patricia Broadbent, who later adopted her. Her parents were told she would not live past 5. By age 6, her HIV had advanced to AIDS, and she became an activist. At age 7, she appeared on a Nickelodeon educational show about the disease with NBA star Earvin “Magic” Johnson. That program led her to appearances on “Good Morning America,” “The Oprah Winfrey Show,” “20/20,” “The Maury Povich Show,” and many others.
Broadbent attended Odyssey High School in Las Vegas from home while continuing her advocacy work. She created the Hydeia L. Broadbent Foundation and worked with numerous other organizations, including being a spokesperson for the Magic Johnson Foundation, working with the Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation, and many others.
Broadbent was awarded a Black Achievement award by Jet magazine, was named one of Ebony Magazine’s Top 100 African American History Makers, was an honorary member of Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority, Inc., among other honors. In 2002, her family released the book, “You Get Past the Tears.” Throughout her years, she spoke about abstinence, safe sex practices, and prevention.
Notable quote
“If you stay in your bed and feel sorry for yourself and don’t get up with the birds and just sit there saying, ‘I’m going to die,’ why try and make a difference? But when you say, ‘Today is another day, I can get up, I can do something,’ [you] can make something positive.”— from a 1996 interview with Oprah Winfrey interview, age 11
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