Ronald Dickson Woodroof (February 3, 1950 – September 12, 1992) was an American man who created what would become known as the Dallas Buyers Club in March 1988, one of several such AIDS buyers clubs that sprang up at the time. After learning he had contracted the human immunodeficiency virus ( HIV) in 1985 and being diagnosed with AIDS, he created the group as part of his efforts to find and distribute drugs to treat AIDS at a time when the disease was poorly understood. He sued the United States

Food and Drug Administration The United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA or US FDA) is a List of United States federal agencies, federal agency of the United States Department of Health and Human Services, Department of Health and Human Services. The FDA is respo ...

(FDA) over a ban on peptide T, a drug he was using. Woodroof's final years became the basis of the 2013 film '' Dallas Buyers Club,'' in which he was portrayed by

Matthew McConaughey Matthew David McConaughey ( ; born November 4, 1969) is an American actor. He achieved his breakthrough with a supporting performance in the coming-of-age comedy '' Dazed and Confused'' (1993). After a number of supporting roles, his first su ...

Biography

Woodroof was born in

Dallas Dallas () is a city in the U.S. state of Texas and the most populous city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the List of Texas metropolitan areas, most populous metropolitan area in Texas and the Metropolitan statistical area, fourth-most ...

Texas Texas ( , ; or ) is the most populous U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. It borders Louisiana to the east, Arkansas to the northeast, Oklahoma to the north, New Mexico to the we ...

, on February 3, 1950, to Garland Odell Woodroof (March 17, 1917, in Texas – December 3, 1983, in Dallas)Social Security Death Index Number 445-03-6878 and Willie Mae Hughes (November 25, 1917, in

Oklahoma Oklahoma ( ; Choctaw language, Choctaw: , ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. It borders Texas to the south and west, Kansas to the north, Missouri to the northea ...

– November 19, 1996, in Dallas).Social Security Death Index Number 465-18-13341940 United States Census: District 255-224, Family Number 207, Sheet Number and Letter 8A His first marriage was to Mary Etta Pybus on June 28, 1969, in Dallas; they had a daughter. They divorced on March 23, 1972. On May 6, 1972, he married a woman named Rory S. Flynn in Dallas. They divorced on May 21, 1973. He then married Brenda Shari Robin on October 4, 1982, in Lubbock. They divorced on March 4, 1986, after he was diagnosed with HIV. It was recorded that Woodroof had a mercurial personality. One reporter writes that "Woodroof took guns to his doctor’s office, prompting Steven Pounders to 'fire him as a patient.'" Woodroof later sent the doctor roses, and the doctor took him back. Woodroof was said to have lost all his friends after they found out he was HIV-positive. The movie '' Dallas Buyers Club'' depicts Woodroof as holding homophobic views prior to contracting HIV. Other people who knew Woodroof said that he did not harbor anti-gay beliefs and was openly

bisexual Bisexuality is romantic attraction, sexual attraction, or sexual behavior toward both males and females. It may also be defined as the attraction to more than one gender, to people of both the same and different gender, or the attraction t ...

. He was a member of the Dallas Gay Alliance.

Dallas Buyer's Club

After suffering from the side effects of

AZT Zidovudine (ZDV), also known as azidothymidine (AZT), was the first antiretroviral medication used to prevent and treat HIV/AIDS. It is generally recommended for use in combination with other antiretrovirals. It may be used to prevent vertica ...

, Ron Woodroof began looking for other drugs he could use to further prolong his life. He acquired nutritional supplements and drugs not approved by the FDA for use in the United States, which he found helpful in ameliorating his symptoms. Woodroof established what he called the Dallas Buyers Club in 1988 as a front for distributing these drugs and other substances to AIDS patients.

Death

Despite initially being given only 30 days to live when learning about his HIV status, Woodroof lived seven more years following his diagnosis before dying on September 12, 1992, from

pneumonia Pneumonia is an Inflammation, inflammatory condition of the lung primarily affecting the small air sacs known as Pulmonary alveolus, alveoli. Symptoms typically include some combination of Cough#Classification, productive or dry cough, ches ...

brought on by AIDS. He is buried in Restland Memorial Park.

Portrayal in the media

Woodroof’s life was the basis of the 2013 film '' Dallas Buyers Club''. He was portrayed in the film by

, who won an

Academy Award for Best Actor The Academy Award for Best Actor is an award presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS). It has been awarded since the 1st Academy Awards to an actor who has delivered an outstanding performance in a leading ...

for his performance as Woodroof.

References

External links

Ron Woodroof at Find A Grave
{{DEFAULTSORT:Woodroof, Ron 1950 births 1992 deaths AIDS-related deaths in Texas American HIV/AIDS activists American electricians People from Dallas Deaths from pneumonia in Texas 20th-century American people