Eve van Grafhorst

Eve van Grafhorst
Eve van Grafhorst
Born	17 July 1982; St Leonards, New South Wales, Australia
Died	20 November 1993 (aged 11); Hastings, New Zealand
Occupation	Student
Known for	HIV-related controversy in Australia

Eve van Grafhorst (17 July 1982 – 20 November 1993) was one of the first Australian children to be infected with HIV via a blood transfusion. She became the centre of a controversy in 1985 when she was banned from her local pre-school amid fears she might infect other children.^[1]

Van Grafhorst was born prematurely in 1982, and required eleven blood transfusions to save her life. One of the transfusions was contaminated, and she contracted HIV.^[2]

In February 1985, her parents enrolled her in a pre-school in Kincumber, New South Wales. When she bit another child,^[3] the state medical officer for New South Wales said van Grafhorst should be barred from daycare until she was older.^[3] After her condition became known, parents of other preschoolers threatened to withdraw their children if she was re-enrolled, saying that the young girl posed a grave threat of infection.^[2]^[4] She was eventually permitted to attend school, provided she wore a plastic face mask at all times.^[5] Some parents felt that was insufficient, and that the van Grafhorsts should leave town.^[6]

The van Grafhorsts did leave, moving to Hastings, New Zealand, in 1986.^[7] In contrast to their Australian experience, the van Grafhorst family was welcomed in Hastings. Eve lived a relatively normal life, and attended a local school without incident.^[8]^[9]

In 1992, she received a Variety Gold Heart Award. Her story had been widely reported throughout the world and, on her tenth birthday, Eve, dressed as a radiant bride, was sent a letter and autographed photograph of Diana, Princess of Wales. After Eve died at home in 1993, aged 11, her mother, Gloria, received a sympathetic letter from Diana, praising Eve for her "courage and strength".^[10]

The 1994 TV documentary All About Eve (in reference to the 1950 film), produced by Vincent Burke and directed by Monique Oomen, is a biography of Eve.^[11]^[12]