Eve van Grafhorst

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Eve van Grafhorst (17 July 1982–20 November 1993) was the first Australian girl to be infected with HIV via a blood transfusion. She became the centre of a storm of controversy in 1985 when she was banned from her local pre-school amid fears she might infect other children.

Van Grafhorst was born prematurely in 1982, and required eleven blood transfusions to save her life. The eleventh transfusion was contaminated, and van Grafhorst contracted HIV.

When van Grafhorst's parents attempted to enroll her in a Kincumber, New South Wales pre-school in July 1985, the parents of other pre-schoolers threatened to withdraw their children, saying that young Eve posed a grave threat of infection. van Grafhorst was eventually permitted to attend school, provided she wore a plastic face-mask at all times; some parents suggested that this was not sufficient, and that the van Grafhorsts should leave town.

After a year of controversy and hounding by the Australian media, the van Grafhorsts did indeed leave town, moving to New Zealand in 1986. In contrast to the ostracism they had received in Australia, the van Grafhorst family was welcomed; Eve lived a relatively normal life and attended a local school without incident.

In 1992 she received the Variety Gold Heart Award. She died in 1993, aged 11 years. Her story had been widely reported throughout the world, and on her tenth birthday, Eve was sent a letter and signed photograph from Diana, Princess of Wales. After Eve died, her mother Gloria received a letter from Diana praising Eve for her "courage and strength". [1]