Derek Frost on overcoming the AIDS epidemic

Derek Frost is the author of Living and Loving in the Age of AIDS. He is also a distinguished designer and entrepreneur who alongside his husband Jeremy Norman, founded Heaven, the first gay nightclub in London.  Their lives were high-octane, full of adventure, fun and fearless creativity. However, in 1991, Derek’s partner Jeremy was diagnosed as HIV positive. While the onset of AIDS strengthened stigma and fear globally, they confronted their personal crisis with courage, humor, and an indomitable resolve to survive.

Jeremy’s battle lasted six long years--until conventional medicine finally developed ATR treatments which made HIV manageable and allowed Jeremy to start living a normal life again--and indeed he’s still alive today. Turning to spiritual reflection, yoga, nature - and always to love - Derek describes a transformation of the spirit and how compassion and empathy rose from the flames of sickness and death. Out of this transformation also came Aids Ark, the charity they founded, which helped to save, amongst the world's most marginalized people, more than 1,000 HIV-positive lives.

Derek speaks for a generation who lived through a global health crisis that many in society refused even to acknowledge. His book, Living and Loving in the Age of AIDS is a story of joy and triumph; about facing universal challenges; about the great rewards that come from giving back.