Ron Woodroof (1950-1992) was an American citizen famous for creating an international network of AIDS drug distribution services. This occurred in the late 1980s, at a time when advances in drug discovery to cure the disease were scarce.
In this sense, Woodroof decided to create this network after being diagnosed as seropositive for HIV (human immunodeficiency virus). His motivation was to rebel against his destiny, which placed him in a situation of imminent death. In his efforts, he attracted the attention of other HIV positive people who - like him - were seeking relief from their condition.
Source: dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2244249/Pictured-Real-life-AIDs-victim-Ron-Woodroof-tragic-life-played-Matthew-McConaughey-movie-The-Dallas-Club.html
Ron Woodroof's network became the only place where people infected with AIDS could obtain medicines that were not in their country or that were in the process of experimentation. Its advance made the US health authorities intervene due to the multiple health violations that were committed.
Ron Woodroof's fight against the health agencies of his country had great media coverage. The system he created constantly threatened to violate health protocols in search of relief for its members. According to his diagnosis, Ron would only live one more month, although thanks to this system he was able to live seven more years.
Biography
Ronald Dickson Woodroof was born in Dallas, Texas, on February 3, 1950. There is little information about his life in the run-up to being diagnosed with AIDS. What is known is that he worked as a professional electrician and cowboy (a person who makes a living participating in American rodeos).
His first marriage was to Mary Etta Pybus, on June 28, 1969 in Dallas, Texas. On February 1, 1970, he had a daughter who they named Yvette Lynn Woodroof. Ron and Mary were divorced on March 23, 1972.
Later, she remarried, also in Dallas, to Rory S. Flynn. This second marriage took place on May 6, 1972 and lasted only one year. On May 21, 1973, Ron and Rory ended their marital relationship.
Later, on October 4, 1982, he married Brenda Shari Robin in Lubbock, Texas. As in his previous relationships, this ended in divorce on March 4, 1986.
In 1986, Woodroof was diagnosed as HIV positive and doctors gave him only 30 days to live. However, he resignedly refused to accept his fate and set out to investigate on his own about medications and drug combinations that could extend those 30 days of life.
Dallas Buyers Club
Ron Woodroof dedicated himself to buying medicines all over the world, which according to the results of his research would help him heal. Many of these drugs were not available in the United States.
Other AIDS patients, upon hearing the news, began asking Ron to help them get medicine as well. So in March 1988, with the help of his doctor and a friend who was also an HIV patient, Woodroof founded the Dallas Buyers Club (Dallas Buyers Club).
Through the Buyer's Club, Woodroof operated a large distribution center for experimental AIDS treatments from his Oak Lawn apartment. This large network of buyers and sellers was outside the control of the FDA (US Food and Drug Administration).
The group imported AIDS treatments from other countries, sometimes US experimental drugs. Initially, the FDA was not involved in the matter, however, as the network grew, the dangers of some of the treatments marketed through the club became a concern.
Charges of speculation later surfaced, and the club was embroiled in several scandals and federal lawsuits. Woodroof always claimed that he was not running the club for profit.
The movie
Ron Woodroof died on September 12, 1992, 7 years after he was diagnosed as HIV positive. The cause of death was pneumonia against which his body had no defense due to his condition.
In 2014, the last years of his life were made into the cinema in a movie titled Dallas buyers club. The film achieved 6 Oscar nominations, winning three times: best leading actor, best supporting actor and best makeup.
This film had in its leading role the American actor Matthew McConaughey. According to the Hollywood press, Matthew had to lose 23 kilos to play the role.
Unlike other autobiographical films, this one was not based on a book, but rather on interviews with Ron. Its filmmakers wanted the film to focus on character and the way Woodroof saw himself, so many of the events were not included in the film.
Causes of contagion
In the movie played by Matthew McConaughey, Ron Woodroof is portrayed as a homophobic person. However, in the opinion of his friends, Ron was openly bisexual, a view that was supported by his treating physician and by his ex-wife, Brenda Shari.
However, the screenwriter told the press that he had interviewed Woodroof a month before his death. He confirmed that he recorded several hours of conversation with him and had access to his personal diaries. In this way, he concluded that Ron was a heterosexual, homophobic man, who had many women and drank excessively.
What all his relatives did agree on was that Woodroof would have had many partners with whom he had unprotected sex. Also, all claimed that they had a period where they experimented with drugs. From there, according to general opinion, he could have been infected.
Ron's rampant promiscuity was confirmed by the film's producers. In interviews prior to production, Woodroof had accepted that he had had many women in his life with particular emphasis on a relationship with a drug addict in 1981.
References
- Gardner, J. (s / f) Ron Woodroof Biography. Taken from famousbiographies.org.
- Biography. (s / f). Ron Woodroof Biography. Taken from biography.com.
- Rodriguez, KT (2013). The Complete Unofficial 86th Annual Academy Awards Review Guide. Los Angeles: Academy Award (s) and Oscar (s).
- Chávez, N. (2018, July 16). 7 actors who drastically changed their look. Taken from lifeandstyle.mx.
- Andean. (2014, February 28). This is the real Ron Woodroof from the 'Homeless Club'. Taken from andina.pe.
- Escartín Gómez, J. (2013, November 04). What the Dallas Buyers Club doesn't tell about the life of Ron Woodroof. Taken from premiosocar.net.