Travis

Distributed by First Run/Icarus Films, 32 Court St., 21st Floor, Brooklyn, NY 11201; 800-876-1710Produced by Richard KotukDirector n/a1998, VHS, color, 58 min. Travis is the exceptional story of Travis Jefferies, a child with full-blown AIDS living in the South Bronx. When the program begins, Travis is 7 years old. He lives with his grandmother, Geneva Jefferies, a woman whose strength and resilience are unequaled except perhaps by Travis himself. Mrs. Jeffries (Geneva) has custody of Travis from her daughter, Samantha, a drug user who cannot take care of a child. Travis is in good spirits despite painful sores in his mouth and esophagus that force him to spend 14 hours a day on a feeding tube and make it difficult for him to talk. His desire to be like any other 7 yr. old boy dominates the physical pain he must endure. He goes to the park with a portable food pump, plays and has confrontations just like any other kid. The exception being that his illness has given him a worldliness beyond his 7 years. As Travis' condition slowly worsens, the frustration level heightens for everyone who knows and cares for him. The team of health care providers at the Special Needs Clinic at Columbia Presbyterian Medical Center where Travis goes for treatment, his grandmother, his cousins, even the neighborhood pharmacist realize they have no control over this disease. Dr. Beutler, his pediatrician compares the fight for Travis' health to a battle that they will most likely lose to the HIV infection. Through it all, Travis maintains a positive outlook on life. At the apex of the film, a particularly disappointed Travis is upset because he can't go outside and play in the snow with the other kids. When his grandmother explains why, he tearfully says, "But the snow will be dirty tomorrow!" Touching scenes like this are portrayed throughout the program, and producer Richard Kotuk has allowed the strongest force among the people in this film to come through loud and clear - love. Kotuk has created a superb documentary, giving us an intimate look at the daily life of a child with AIDS and the supporting cast that surround him. Kotuk deftly knows when to narrate and when to let the people tell their story, showing first had the emotion, strength and dedication it takes to deal with their situation. Sobering statistics of children with AIDS in our country serve to not only inform, but take on new meaning when seeing first-hand what those numbers really mean. The program ends with an uplifting day at the Clinic, where Travis, now 9, learns that his T-cell count is way up, giving the pediatrician hope that the protease inhibitors are working - at least for now. This is not only the story of a remarkable young boy, but of his amazing grandmother and admirably close family and neighborhood ties. A Jury Award Winner at the 1998 Double Take Documentary Film Festival, Travis is highly recommended for general and academic health sciences collections, especially those with a focus on AIDS and HIV.