In 1991, Autum Aquino, age 6, infected with the AIDS virus, braved controversy and public scrutiny by attending Reiche Elementary. At 18, she has many more lessons in courage and grace to offer and is very much still with us all.

By Alison Bulman

Photography by John McNeil & Kevin LeDuc

How do you tell a 6-year-old she is going to die soon? “My mom told me there was something in my blood that made me unable to fight off colds and stuff,” Autum Aquino remembers. “One of the first things I asked was if we were going to die. She told me everyone dies. We just might a little sooner.”

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