Ron Woodroof was born in 1950, becoming an electrician in adulthood. In 1986, Woodroof was diagnosed with AIDS and given a short time to live. Instead of passively accepting this prognosis, Woodroof researched various medicines and drug combinations and began taking a regime of drugs to stave off the disease. He also began what is now known as the Dallas Buyers Club, through which he sold the drugs to AIDS victims around the world who had no other recourse.
http://www.biography.com/people/ron-woodroof-21329541