Carnival Cruise Lines said Lindsey Wilkerson, a former cancer patient at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital in Memphis and now an employee at St. Jude, will be godmother of the Carnival Magic.
The ship's naming ceremony will take place in Venice on May 1.
"Lindsey embodies the spirit of the tremendously talented, compassionate and dedicated individuals at St. Jude who are true heroes in every sense of the word. Lindsey’s selection as godmother is a tribute to the special children of St. Jude, as well as an acknowledgement of the groundbreaking efforts the organization has made in the fight against childhood cancer,” said Carnival CEO Gerry Cahill.
Carnival in 2010 launched Care to Play: Carnival For St. Jude Kids, a project that aims to raise $3 million over a three-year period through shipboard fundraisers.
Carnival said it will make a $50,000 donation in Wilkerson’s honor during the naming ceremony.
Following the ceremony, Wilkerson and her family will be among the nearly 3,700 guests who will sail on the Carnival Magic when it departs on an inaugural nine-day Mediterranean voyage that ends in Barcelona May 10.
The ship will operate a series of seven- to 12-day Mediterranean cruises through October before repositioning to Galveston, Texas, for seven-day Caribbean cruises beginning in November.