Henry Nicols

Henry Joseph Nicols (August 9, 1973 – May 8, 2000) was an American HIV/AIDS activist who became the first American student to intentionally disclose his HIV infection to his community in March 1991.

Early life

Nicols was the youngest of Joan and Hank Nicols' three children. At 18 months of age, he was diagnosed with haemophilia, a genetic disorder that impairs blood clotting and requires frequent blood transfusions to improve it. This exposed him to many blood-borne infections, including Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV). In 1984, Nicols was diagnosed with HIV at age eleven. When Nicols was diagnosed, HIV/AIDS was a new, poorly understood disease that was highly stigmatized and had no known treatment. Other HIV-positive hemophiliacs, including the Ray brothers in Arcadia, Florida and Ryan White from Kokomo, Indiana, had to fight lengthy and highly publicized legal battles to be allowed to stay in school. To avoid public scrutiny, Nicols and his family chose not to tell anyone, including close friends and family, about being HIV positive. he discussed his condition and declared that he would use his illness as a leadership project to earn the coveted Eagle Scout award from the Boy Scouts of America.

Nicols went from being an unknown and secret AIDS patient to becoming a local hero and an international AIDS advocate. He was featured on the cover of Parade Magazine, had stories written about him in People Magazine and numerous other news journals. He was a featured guest on Good Morning America and other national news broadcasts and was interviewed by CBS news anchor Peter Jennings during a TV special on AIDS. Nicols used his newfound notoriety to advocate for compassion and understanding for all those afflicted with AIDS. Nicols completed the requirements to be an Eagle Scout and was awarded the Eagle Scout Badge in July 1991. He was awarded the first ever Ryan White Award by the National Hemophilia Association, testified before Congress and met with New York Governor Mario Cuomo and Arnold Schwarzenegger, then Presidential Physical Fitness Advisor to George H. Bush. Nicols also met with Presidents George H. Bush, and William Jefferson Clinton to discuss AIDS related issues. Nicols was awarded an honorary bachelor's degree from The University of Scranton in 1992. He was awarded the Caring Award in 1992 by the Heart of America Foundation. Nicols, his sisters, Jennifer and Diana, and his parents traveled around the United States and the world to set up AIDS support groups. They worked in Ireland, Canada and Japan and met with university students in 42 states in the United States to educate and support those with AIDS.

Eagle Scout

After Nicols publicly announced that he had AIDS, the writer Michael Ryan decided to make a documentary about Nicols's life. POZ magazine quoted Ryan as saying, "I had done magazine articles on AIDS and had friends who had died. Part of me looked at Henry and said this is propaganda, a way to tell middle America about AIDS."

Death

As Nicols' illness progressed and his health began to fail, he traveled less and less; he also began to develop AIDS-related dementia. In April 2000 on his way to a Boy Scout weekend, Nicols had a car accident, striking a telephone pole. There are several monuments to his memory in Cooperstown, New York, where his family still lives.

Nicols' father wrote a biography, Henry for President, which was published in 2008.