John befriended Ryan White, a 13-year-old hemophiliac who contracted AIDS during a contaminated treatment for his condition in December 1984. In June 1985, White attempted to return to school; however, due to the stigma surrounding the virus at the time, he was blocked entrance after fearful parents and teachers signed a petition. Before passing away on April 9th, 1990, he told his story on TV and came to represent hope for people living with AIDS across the world. After being at Ryan’s bedside on the day he passed away, John wrote him a letter and performed his ballad ‘Skyline Pigeon’ at his funeral. He later went on to fund the Elton John Aids Foundation in 1992.

In 2009, President Obama signed the Ryan White HIV/AIDS Treatment Extension Act, which requires that medical facilities provide EREs with notification of when they may have been exposed to potentially life-threatening infectious diseases while transporting or serving victims of an emergency.