American HIV/ AIDS activist Hydeia Broadbent passed away in Las Vegas in February 2024, aged 39. On World AIDS Day on December 1, social media users paid tribute to her.Hydeia Broadbent, who was born HIV-positive, spent her life advocating for her community, raising awareness, and fighting the stigma around the condition. Her childhood friend and fellow HIV-positive individual, Tyler Small, accompanied her on the journey.Broadbent was not married in real life and had no children. However, in 2004, she and Small celebrated a “friends for life” ceremony, organized by Hydeia’s adoptive parents, Loren and Patricia Broadbent. She was nine at the time and wore a white bridal gown to the make-believe wedding. It is noteworthy that the activist maintained “healthy romantic relationships” until her demise. Tyler Small later got married and had children. View this post on Instagram Instagram PostAll you need to know about Hydeia Broadbent’s "friend for life," Tyler SmallHydeia Broadbent and Tyler Small appeared on The Jerry Springer Show in 1996 and spoke with WWE champion Razor Ramon, aka Scott Hall, who surprised his loyal, young fan, Tyler.“These guys have to fight every single day of the year. I know I’m on the road over 300 times a year, and sometimes I feel bad, but these guys are fighting the real fight,” Ramon noted.He also handed over his Intercontinental Title to Tyler Small and asked him to share it with Hydeia Broadbent.“This is the Intercontinental Belt. I’ve had it four times; I’ll get another one. Just make sure that you share this with Hydeia,” Razor told Small.Razor Ramon, who was nicknamed “The Bad Guy,” declared both kids as “champions,” and added that from where he came, it wasn’t about how many times “you go down,” but rather how many times “you get up.”“You ain’t beat until you quit. If you don’t quit, you never lose. Keep fighting,” the wrestling star concluded.Speaking with WWE in 2016 ahead of the Living on a Razor’s Edge: The Scott Hall Story DVD launch, Tyler Small recalled meeting The Bad Guy as “amazing” and a “life-changing experience.”Meanwhile, Hydeia Broadbent remembered Ramon as a kind, cool, and awesome person who, despite his “bad guy persona,” seemed to “care about our story” and “genuinely wanted to make us happy.”The duo also shared that they attended one of the WrestleManias in California and met several famous wrestlers.“I think having the support of a public figure that was a big part of such a huge organization set a tone for people to really take the time to educate themselves about HIV/ AIDS and to show compassion themselves, especially towards youths. That was really a big step and it was a great move by Razor Ramon for coming out and doing that,” Hydeia told WWE.She also spoke about her activism and what it meant to be the first generation of children who were born with HIV/ AIDS. She recalled starting to share her story at six, going to Capitol Hill to call for funding, battling the “discrimination,” and spreading awareness.Tyler Small shared that Razor Ramon's “friendship” was kind of a “personal hope” for him and encouraged him to keep fighting. At the time, Small had three HIV-negative children with his wife of five years.In brief, about Hydeia BroadbentHydeia Broadbent was born with undiagnosed HIV and abandoned by her biological mother at a Las Vegas Hospital after her birth in June 1984. The Broadbent family soon took her in as a foster child and later adopted her.Three years later, she was tested HIV-positive, and doctors told her family she wouldn’t live beyond age 5. However, when she made it, she began speaking publicly about HIV/ AIDS with encouragement from her parents.As a seven-year-old, Hydeia appeared on a 1992 Nickelodeon special with Magic Johnson and famously said:"I want people to know that we're just normal people."In 2012, she told CNN that the show made her feel both “sad and inspirational.”Over the years, Hydeia Broadbent also made appearances on The Oprah Winfrey Show and the 1996 Republican National Convention, where she said:“I am the future… and I have AIDS.”At the 1999 Essence Awards, Mariah Carey presented Hydeia Broadbent with an award, calling her an “incredible child” and a “shining example of the unbridled power of the human spirit.”Three years later, her memoir, You Get Past the Tears: A Memoir of Love and Survival, was published. Hydeia was also the face of the CDC's Let’s Stop HIV Together campaign and launched her eponymous foundation.In 2018, on the day of her 34th birthday, the College of Southern Nevada alum shared a message on her website, naming herself a “force to be reckoned with.”Last year, the communications graduate died at the rehab center, NeuroRestorative. At the time, her father, Loren Broadbent, announced on Facebook:“With great sadness, I must inform you all that our beloved friend, mentor and daughter, Hydeia, passed away today after living with AIDS since birth. Despite facing numerous challenges throughout her life, Hydeia remained determined to spread hope and positivity through education around HIV/ AIDS.”He did not disclose her official cause of death, but told NPR that she wished to be cremated. Loren also told the publication that he wanted the world to remember his daughter as a “fighter.” Meanwhile, Magic Johnson shared that the world will “miss her powerful voice.”