Robert Rayford

Quick Facts

Full Name	Robert Rayford
Occupation	Prostitute
Date Of Birth	Feb 3, 1953(1953-02-03)
Age	71
Date Of Death	1969-05-15
Birthplace	St. Louis
Country	United States
Birth City	Missouri
Horoscope	Aquarius

Robert Rayford Biography

Robert Rayford is one of the most popular and richest Prostitute who was born on February 3, 1953 in St. Louis, Missouri, United States. Robert Rayford was born in St. Louis, Missouri on February 3, 1953 to Constance Rayford (1931-1911) and an unknown father. George Rayford, his older brother (d. 2007) was his father. Constance was the sole parent and had to care for both her children. Rayfords lived in St. Louis’ Old North neighborhood, where 19th-century brick homes offered affordable housing for many working-class African-American families like theirs. Rayford was not known much about his personal life, except that he would be called Bobbie and described as being “painfully shy”, “mentally slow” and “maybe even intellectually disabled.”

Rayford’s condition appeared to be stable in late 1968, but his symptoms returned by March 1969 and he was even more miserable. Rayford had difficulty breathing and his white blood cells had dropped. His immune system was malfunctioning, according to doctors. He became ill with a fever and succumbed to pneumonia on May 15, 1969 at 11:20 PM.

In 1984, HIV (originally called “lymphadenopathy-associated virus”, or LAV) was first discovered and at the time of its discovery, it was rapidly spreading in the gay male communities of New York City and Los Angeles. Dr. Marlys Witte, one of the doctors who, like Elvin-Lewis, had cared for Rayford before his death and also assisted in the autopsy, thawed and tested tissue samples that were preserved after Rayford’s autopsy, and the test results came back negative. Three years later, in June 1987, Witte decided to test the tissue samples again using Western blot, the most sensitive test then available. The Western blot test found that antibodies against all nine detectable HIV proteins were present in Rayford’s blood. An antigen capture assay was also reported to have identified HIV antigens in tissue samples, but not serum. In a letter to the scientific journal Nature in 1990, Garry stated that efforts to directly detect HIV DNA were underway:

A study which reported the results of testing for HIV DNA was eventually presented nearly a decade later, as a conference abstract in 1999. The abstract reports the detection of HIV genes in Rayford’s samples which were very similar to the HIV IIIB isolate which was discovered in France in the 1980s, and became widely used as a laboratory reference isolate (this study has never been published in a peer-reviewed scientific journal). Neither John Sninsky or Shirley Kwok were listed as authors on the abstract. The abstract argues that laboratory contamination by the HIV IIIB isolate was unlikely because the DNA testing was done on Rayford’s samples without being cultured.

Rayford was 15 years old when he admitted himself to St. Louis’ City Hospital. Rayford’s legs and genitals were covered with sores and warts. Also, he had severe swelling in his testicles, pelvic, and pelvic regions, which eventually spread to his legs, leading to a misdiagnosis for lymphedema. Rayford had become thin, pale, and was suffering from shortness and breathlessness. Rayford stated to doctors that he has been experiencing these symptoms since late 1966. The tests revealed that Rayford had a severe chlamydia disease which had spread unusually throughout his body. Rayford refused a request for a rectal exam from hospital personnel and was described as being uncommunicative, withdrawn and uncommunicative. His case was taken over by Dr. Memory Elvin Lewis. She would remember Rayford’s shy, hesitant personality. Elvin-Lewis said that he was a typical 15-year-old who doesn’t want to speak to adults, particularly when I’m black and he is white. He was not communicative. From the moment I entered the room, he knew that I wanted more from him: more blood, more fluid, more of everything. His statements about his sexual history were often contradicted by him. He boasted that he was “the stud” and claimed to have had only one intercourse with a young woman in his neighborhood. This was the reason he claimed he had his illness. Rayford was suspected to be a male prostitute under age and had receptive anal sexual intercourse. However, doctors never considered that Rayford could have been a child molester. He was eventually moved to Barnes-Jewish Hospital (formerly Barnes Hospital).

Robert Rayford Net Worth

Robert Rayford is one of the richest Prostitute from United States. According to our analysis, Wikipedia, Forbes & Business Insider, Robert Rayford 's net worth $5 Million. (Last Update: December 11, 2023)

Robert Rayford, February 3, 1953 – May 15, or 16, 1969), also known as Robert R. because of his age, was a Missouri teenager who was thought to be the first case of HIV/AIDS in North America. This is based on 1988 evidence published by the authors. They claimed that Rayford was infected with a virus that was closely related to or identical to the human immunodeficiency viruses type 1. Rayford succumbed to pneumonia but other symptoms were not recognized by the doctors who treated Rayford. In 1988, a study reported that antibodies were detected against HIV. The results of HIV testing were presented at a conference in Australia in 1999. However, the data have never been published in any peer-reviewed scientific or medical journal.

Rayford never had traveled to the Midwestern United States, and he told his doctors that he’d never had a blood transfusion. One group of researchers believes Rayford may have contracted HIV through sexual contact. Rayford had never been outside the country and so the researchers who claimed Rayford was infected with HIV believe that Rayford may have been an early case. They also speculate that AIDS could have been present in North America prior to Rayford’s 1966 onset of symptoms. Rayford did not travel to the cosmopolitan areas of New York, Los Angeles or San Francisco where the HIV-AIDS epidemic first occurred. TWA was the main international airline hub in St. Louis. This is the only connection that can be made to St. Louis. In the 1980s, doctors and others who investigated the case speculated that Rayford might have been sexually abused or a child-prostitute.

These findings baffled the attending doctors, and a review of the case was published in the medical journal Lymphology in 1973.

Height, Weight & Body Measurements

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Who is Robert Rayford Dating?

According to our records, Robert Rayford is possibily single & has not been previously engaged. As of December 1, 2023, Robert Rayford’s is not dating anyone.

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Facts & Trivia

Robert Ranked on the list of most popular Prostitute. Also ranked in the elit list of famous people born in United States. Robert Rayford celebrates birthday on February 3 of every year.