1. Linda Laubenstein was among the first doctors in the United States to recognize the AIDS epidemic of the early 1980s; she co-authored the first article linking AIDS with Kaposi's sarcoma.
17 Facts About Linda Laubenstein
1. 2.
Linda Laubenstein graduated from Barnard College in 1969 and received her medical degree from New York University School of Medicine, where she specialized in hematology and oncology.
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Linda Laubenstein went on to become a clinical professor before leaving to focus on treating AIDS patients in her private practice.
4.
Linda Laubenstein was memorialized in Larry Kramer's play The Normal Heart and its subsequent film adaptation.
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Linda Laubenstein was born on May 21,1947, in Boston, Massachusetts, to Priscilla and George Laubenstein.
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Linda Laubenstein's mother worked as a special-education preschool teacher, while her father worked as a purchasing agent for Providence Gas Company.
7.
Linda Laubenstein was placed in an iron lung for three months to prevent respiratory failure and was left paraplegic; she would use a wheelchair for the rest of her life.
8.
Linda Laubenstein chose to attend Barnard College because the campus was accessible for wheelchair users.
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Linda Laubenstein later left her university position to focus on treating AIDS patients in her private practice.
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Linda Laubenstein was an outspoken AIDS activist and criticized the American government for what she saw as a reluctance to combat the AIDS epidemic.
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Linda Laubenstein was critical of the Catholic Church for its treatment of lesbians and gay men.
12.
Linda Laubenstein developed appendicitis in 1984 and was afraid to undergo surgery because of the risk that general anesthesia would pose to her lungs, already compromised from polio.
13.
Linda Laubenstein started taking corticosteroids for her respiratory problems, which were exacerbated by allergies to her two pet cats, and was unable to wean herself off them despite experiencing side effects.
14.
Linda Laubenstein died unexpectedly at the age of 45 on August 15,1992, while staying at her family's home in Chatham, Massachusetts.
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Linda Laubenstein was survived by her parents and a brother, Peter.
16.
Kramer, an activist as well as a playwright, hoped that his portrayal of Linda Laubenstein would "enshrine her legacy forever".
17.
Linda Laubenstein's collected papers are at the Schlesinger Library, Radcliffe College.