I spoke to Jason Crum, and asked him what his motivation for the cruise was. Jason told me that working in the travel industry, he felt compelled to provide a service to the HIV positive community, their friends and family having noticed a hole in the market for such vacation packages. Furthermore, he explained that many people with an HIV positive diagnosis do not have many avenues of release for their tension and anxiety and he hopes that his cruise will be one such avenue. “When AIDS was first discovered, everyone feared those who were afflicted, now it is those who are HIV positive that are scared of themselves” said Jason when I asked him to elaborate on the issues of anxiety he had raised regarding his HIV poz cruise. He explained that these days, despite all the advances made in treatment of the physical condition, there lacks any real support for the mental health issues that arise as a result of a positive diagnosis. For this he is of the view that many people who are HIV positive just give up, close down and turn around and wait to die. I found this discussion quite fascinating myself given the fact that in 2007, HIV is no longer even considered a fatal illness but rather a chronic one, considered even less lethal than say diabetes. It felt as if I had been time transported into the late 80s or early 90s in this discussion, and I found it fascinating that anyone can live in this day and age particularly in the United States, fearing that an HIV diagnosis was a death sentence. In all fairness, my knowledge of this issue is mainly academic, and most of my personal experience with HIV was in my native second home, the United Kingdom, where there isn’t anything close to the type of stigma I have encountered in the US regarding HIV AIDS, where despite the reportedly high rates of infection, particularly in the black gay community, the very mention of the word raises the most passionate repulsion.

Jason Crum wanted to fill the void that he feels exists, offering a cruise for those dealing with HIV and AIDS, their families and friends. Jason Crum, is very generously sponsoring two cabins for four individuals who due o their condition, would otherwise not be able to afford this cruise. Furthermore, Jason hopes to raise sponsorship from corporations that may be willing to sponsor more cabins to enable yet more disadvantaged people to take advantage of this highly positive experience, no pun intended. The cruise will involve fun activities as well as a retreat, featuring motivational speakers and other retreat activities yet undetermined. Some of the confirmed speakers include Phil Wilson, director of the Black AIDS Foundation, David Jones of ADODI, and motivational speaker, author and Bishop Terry Mason. Jason has booked 60 cabins on the nine storey Carnival Victory’s Seven Seas Atrium. Scheduled for October 2008, this cruise is being planned a year early to enable people who are interested to express their interest with a $25 deposit due by June 22nd, with the remainder payable over the next few months to enable a maximum number of those wishing to participate to make payments over time. The full payment is not due until May 29th 2008.

The cruise is the first but Jason Crum intends for this to be an annual affair. The actual cruise will leave Miami on October 26th 2008, preceded by a one night hotel stay in Miami for those wishing to participate in the pre-cruise workshops and retreat. More information on the cruise is available on http://www.jasoncrum.org as well as on the attached flyer.