Brryan Jackson was injected with a syringe full of HIV-tainted blood when he was an infant. Now, at 18, he is an inspiration
Brryan Jackson was injected with a syringe full of HIV-tainted blood when he was an infant. Now, at 18, he is an inspiration
Brryan Jackson has been left out of birthday party invitations and asked not to use water fountains.
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His daily routine at one point included 23 pills, three IV medications and two injections. But the toughest part of growing up with AIDS for him may be knowing how he got it.
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When he was a baby, his father entered his hospital room and injected a syringe of HIV-tainted blood into him.
"I expect to break the barriers between what people think this virus is, and what it really is," said Brryan.
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Brryan's mother, Jennifer Jackson, and his father, Brian Stewart, were together for about two years in the early 1990s. After Jennifer became pregnant, Stewart denied he was the father. Paternity tests proved he was.
Constantly sick
In 1992, Brryan was 11 months old when he was hospitalised with asthma. After leaving the hospital, he was constantly sick. Doctors ruled out one illness after another.
Finally, in 1996, Brryan was near death when he was diagnosed with AIDS. But doctors were puzzled about how he got the disease. He wasn't born with it, and had not had blood transfusions. That's when suspicion turned to Stewart.
Stewart worked at a hospital as a phlebotomist his job was drawing blood from patients. Jennifer said Stewart came to Brryan's hospital room during that 1992 stay and suggested she go eat.
Prosecutors said he had the blood filled syringe tucked inside his lab coat and waited until he was alone to inject the boy.
There were no witnesses, but at trial in 1998, Jennifer and others testified that Stewart had access to tainted blood and had threatened to use it as a weapon.
Forgiving
To distance himself from his father and to protect his identity growing up he changed his name from "Brian" to Brryan. He has not been in contact with Stewart, but said he has forgiven him.
"Am I going to make myself as low as he is? ... I've got to be the better person," he said.
In many ways, Brryan is a typical teen. But the disease is never far from the mind.
With improvements in AIDS treatment, he's down to five medications these days. Still, he has missed long stretches of school and admits that some days, it's hard to get out of bed.
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But, as always, Brryan moves ahead. He plans to go to college, and hopes one day to go into politics, but for the upcoming months, he'll spend time advocating for others with AIDS.
The case
Stewart was convicted of first-degree assault and received the maximum sentence, life in prison.
At sentencing, the judge said "I believe when God finally calls you, you are going to burn in hell from here to eternity." Stewart, now 42, remains in prison and is eligible for parole in two years.
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