Important note: Information in this article was accurate in 1991. The state of the art may have changed since the publication date.
The Associated Press; Friday, November 15, 1991
"Due to the changes in the past few months in Ricky Ray's medical condition," he and Wenonah Lindberg will not be getting married Dec. 13, family attorney Judy Kavanaugh said.
A new date has not been set and the couple now plan to limit their wedding to a small, private ceremony attended only by relatives and close friends.
"Too much media, too much hassle, too much stress," Wenonah's mother, Debbie Lindberg, said. "The kids have been through too much.
"They wanted a small wedding in the beginning, and things just got out of hand," she added.
Ricky, the oldest of three hemophiliac brothers infected with the AIDS virus, has been hospitalized four times since his engagement was announced in June. He was diagnosed with full-blown AIDS, an advanced stage of the disease, in March. Doctors cannot say how long he is expected to live.
Ricky is now at home and his condition is stable, Kavanaugh said Wednesday.
Lindberg said the young couple was "still very much in love."
To get married, Ricky -- who turns 15 on Jan. 28 -- will have to ask a judge to waive the age requirements set by state law. The minimum legal age for marriage with parental consent is 16 in Florida, but exceptions can be granted by the courts.
The couple's marital plans are supported by their parents. Ricky's 13-year-old brother, Robert, also has full-blown AIDS. Their youngest brother, 12-year-old Randy, is HIV-positive.
The Ray family gained national attention in 1986 when they sued the DeSoto County School Board for barring the brothers from class after they were diagnosed with the HIV virus, which causes AIDS.
The brothers apparently contracted the deadly virus from tainted blood products before tighter controls on blood supplies were instituted in 1985.
The family, who won the right to send the children to school, later moved to Sarasota after their home was destroyed by arson.
CAPTION: PHOTO Ricky RAY and Wenonah Lindberg
Copyright 1991/The Associated Press. Reproduced with permission. Reproduction of this article (other than one copy for personal reference) must be cleared through the Permissions Desk, The Associated Press, 50 Rockefeller Plaza, New York, NY 10020.
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