Elton John to commemorate life of Ryan White

INDIANAPOLIS -- Jeanne White-Ginder still gets Christmas cards from singer Elton John nearly 20 years after her son, Ryan White, died of AIDS. The singer befriended White during his public battle for acceptance and plans to perform during a late April event to benefit the Indianapolis Children's Museum and John's AIDS foundation.

White is featured prominently in the museum's "Power of Children: Making a Difference" exhibit.

White-Ginder spoke to schoolchildren Wednesday at the museum, which has preserved contents of her son's room. On display are White's bed, toys and signed pictures from many celebrities, including one from John. The room also holds a teddy bear wearing a sparkly vest that the singer gave the teen during a hospital visit.

When asked whether she still kept in touch with John, who performed at the teen's funeral, White-Ginder told the small crowd that the superstar would be coming to Indianapolis next month to lead a celebration of her son's life. The Children's Museum announced details of the event at a press conference Thursday morning.

White-Ginder said Wednesday that as the 20-year anniversary of White's death approached, she wrote John a letter asking him whether he'd perform in honor of her son, who died April 8, 1990, at age 18. White-Ginder said the singer called her and quickly agreed to participate.

The Children's Museum and EJAF will co-host the April 28 benefit at Clowes Memorial Hall at Butler University. The evening will celebrate White's life and legacy in education and feature John' performance, as well as appearances by other celebrities, speakers and an actor portraying White, said Jeffrey Patchen, Children's Museum president.

"Half the proceeds will go to the Elton John AIDS Foundation, and half will go to the Children's Museum specifically targeted to this gallery, and Ryan's space," Patchen said. Along with White's bedroom, the "Power of Children" exhibit tells the stories of Jewish teenager Anne Frank, who died in a Nazi concentration camp, and Ruby Bridges, the first black student to attend a previously all-white New Orleans elementary school.

Money from the event will pay for actors and special features in White's area of the exhibit and allow White-Ginder to come back regularly from her Leesburg, Fla., home to speak to children, Patchen said.

White contracted AIDS from a tainted transfusion of a blood-clotting agent used to treat his hemophilia. He drew national attention to the plight of children with HIV in the 1980s when as a 13-year-old he was banned from a school near Kokomo.

Nearly 20 years after his death, White-Ginder says she's glad to be able to keep her son's legacy alive through speaking engagements, the exhibit, and events like the benefit. Those opportunities allow her to educate people about a subject -- AIDS -- that still is not openly discussed and teach children about different forms of discrimination, she said.

"Life deals us so many strange things," White-Ginder said. "Ryan was only supposed to live three to six months. I had him five and a half years, which at that time, was an awfully long time for someone to live with AIDS. You do the best you can with what you have. ... It's hard, but to have this, to have his legacy continue, and have Elton be a part of his life -- it's just so wonderful."