[6] Following his diagnosis, he battled clinical depression for about a year[7] before deciding in 1985 to get on with life, and renewed his commitment to both acting and HIV activism.
[7] He was one of the founding members of Toronto's People With AIDS Foundation,[7] appeared in the AIDS-themed documentary film No Sad Songs in 1985 and a production of Robert E. Sherwood's play Idiot's Delight in 1987,[7] and began appearing as a public speaker on HIV and AIDS issues.
[3] During this era, he was also meeting regularly with Callwood in preparation for the book Jim: A Life with AIDS, which was published in fall 1988.
[4] In both 1988 and 1989, he invited the media to cover his birthday party as a news story, to highlight his continued survival and to promote further awareness of the disease.
[10] At the time of his 1989 party, however, he was making plans to move into Casey House, Toronto's AIDS hospice, due to his declining health.