Saluting Royal Caribbean and Erin Brown their commitment to diversity and inclusion!
MIAMI, Nov. 15, 2021 /PRNewswire/ — It’s official: Royal Caribbean International celebrated its newest game-changing ship, Odyssey of the Seas, during the ship’s naming ceremony in Fort Lauderdale, Florida on Saturday, Nov. 13. The Caribbean-inspired occasion culminated in the moment Odyssey’s Godmother and the first Bahamian paratriathlete to compete in the Paralympic Games qualifiers, Erin Brown, bestowed a blessing of safekeeping on the ship and all those who sail on it for decades to come.
A 17-year change agent for those living with disabilities in The Bahamas, Brown is a mother and cancer survivor. The life-long athlete was diagnosed with stage 4 osteosarcoma – bone cancer – in 2004. It was more than a year later, after receiving treatment, when Brown made the decision to amputate her leg above the knee. Having watched her own mother battle lupus linked to cancer for five years, Odyssey’s Godmother was determined to come back stronger than ever for herself, her family and others who could be inspired to fight. Brown went on to become the first Bahamian paratriathlete to train in the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Training Center in Colorado Springs and compete in a Paralympic Games qualifier. In addition to her athletic achievements, Brown is a longtime advocate for those living with disabilities and works at the University of The Bahamas as the compliance officer and counselor championing the increase of access and opportunities for students living with disabilities.
“I am immensely grateful to have been selected as Godmother to Odyssey of the Seas,” said Brown. “As a proud Bahamian, it is an honor to also represent The Bahamas and share my story with so many others. My experiences have empowered me to reinvent myself and transform my life, and I’m committed to helping ensure others can do the same.”
This winter and early 2022, Odyssey is welcoming families and travelers of all ages on 6-night and 8-night cruises to the eastern, western and southern Caribbean as well as the cruise line’s private island destination, Perfect Day at CocoCay. In April 2022, the new, innovative ship will head to its summer home in Rome to sail along the sun-soaked shores of the Mediterranean.
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