One of the most heart-wrenching stories involving HIV and AIDS was when 13-year-old Ryan White died in 1990. At the time, little was known about the virus and many were skeptical in how to act when being around someone who was sick.

White out

White was barely a teenage when he contracted HIV during a blood treatment for hemophilia. When locals in his small Indiana town of Kokomo reacted harshly to White, his story gained national attention after he was denied the right to return to the local public school. Even after doctors informed those who were concerned that Ryan was not a threat to any of the children, common ignorance at the time caused a major backlash.

White lived longer than doctor's thought he would, but died at 18-years-old, just one month before he was set to graduate from Hamilton Heights High School in Cicero. In the years since his death, rumors circulated that Republican nominee Donald Trump had paid for his HIV treatment, though those claims were officially put to rest during an interview with the Indianapolis Star published on October 25.

Jeanne White Ginder, White's mother, was on hand at the "Power of Children" exhibit at the The Children's Museum in Indianapolis this week to celebrate a replica of her son's bedroom that was put out for display.

"I feel like Ryan is here," Ginder said, calling the experience "comforting." When the rumor of Trump paying for her son's medical treatment was brought up, Ginger confirmed that wasn't the case. "Donald was here maybe five minutes and then left," Ginder said, ending any speculation regarding the rumor's validity.

While Ginder said she agrees with some of the policy proposals that Trump has put forward, she can't get herself to support him.

"How can we expect our kids not to bully when a person who is running for president bullies?" Ginder asked, referencing Trump "not respecting women" and "making fun of the handicapped" as examples that bother her the most.

Moving forward

According to the latest Real Clear Politics rolling average, Trump is trailing Hillary Clinton by just over five points nationally, while continuing to slip in key battleground states, including, but not limited to, Colorado, Pennsylvania, Florida, and Wisconsin. For the former host of "The Apprentice," unless a historic comeback is made, the consensus is that the United States will elect its first female commander in chief.
© ALL RIGHTS RESERVED