The National Cancer Institute estimates that 13.7 million people with a history of cancer were alive in the United States in 2012. An additional 1.6 million people will be diagnosed in 2013. An estimated 1600 people die of cancer everyday. For those diagnosed, what was once a normal daily life focused on family, work or […]
Colorectal cancer is one of the most commonly diagnosed cancers and the second leading cause of cancer-related deaths in the United States. Despite recommendations for colorectal cancer screening beginning at age 50, nearly 40% of Americans still do not obtain screening.
Over 175,000 children are diagnosed with cancer worldwide each year, but until recently childhood cancer in low/middle income countries has received little attention from researchers and health organizations. Barriers include concerns about the ability to diagnose and treat in areas with limited resources. However, regardless of the environment, many of the emotions and concerns that […]
As a second year pediatric resident, I have seen a myriad of families endure the effects of childhood illness. Across the board, these families have developed a variety of impressive strategies to cope with their child’s illness. I wanted to investigate how parents find the strength to cope with childhood illness. One family in particular […]
For the last few years, I have been collecting a range of stories about motherhood and how the experience of motherhood changes us. I’ve been especially drawn to those stories which we often don’t hear. Stories that involve challenges, require growth and deepen wisdom. When we are inside these kinds of experiences, there’s nothing more […]
People are always giving advice to cancer patients. Whether it is nutritional advice or doctor recommendations or tips on how to quell the nausea that accompanies chemotherapy, just as soon as people hear you are sick they usually want to find a way to help. Most of the advice is welcome and encouraging, though in […]
Marcela Gaviria survived a childhood cancer that nearly took her leg. She’s spent the last 30 years dealing with complications from that illness. And in all that time, she has stuck with the same doctor, Dempsey Springfield. Marcela and Dr. Springfield have lost count of just how many surgeries they’ve been through together. But when […]
This short film (14 minutes), aimed towards oncologists, was designed to raise awareness of parenting concerns when a mother’s cancer is considered terminal. The film highlights the importance of doctors’ candid and timely communication about prognosis and treatment planning. Producer Brian Stabler and his colleagues at UNC Chapel Hill currently use this film as a […]
Ms. Earnshaw, a Canadian photographer and student at the International Center for Photography in New York, brims with an earnest belief in photography’s redemptive nature and a desire to pursue long-term projects around health care and family. One of her teachers there connected her with the Motefiore Children’s Hospital, where she was invited to photograph […]
About the Film Diagnosed with advanced ovarian cancer at age 42, Dr. Katherine “Kasia” Clark was given 1-2 years to live. Ten years later, Outside In reveals her fight to reclaim body and soul, following Kasia from hospital bed to exam rooms and doctor consultations, training for triathlons, making art movies with her mother, and suing the […]
About the Film Fifty women from North Carolina with incurable breast cancer heroically endure an experimental medical protocol to prove that there is a better way of life, and death, for cancer patients and their families everywhere. Pathfinders, an organization founded partly by social workers, addresses more than the medical needs of patients. The program […]
About the Book Facing Cancer is a life-changing event, one that prompts soul-searching and reevaluation of all that one holds true. In the years following their own cancer treatments, authors Elena Dorfman and Heidi Schultz Adams were left wondering, What difference has cancer made in other people’s lives? What does it mean to survive a […]
About the Project Crammed into the wing of Marie Curie Hospital in Bucharest, 20 children diagnosed with cancer are fighting everyday for their lives. Living conditions in the hospital are harsh, with not enough beds or nurses, no proper medicine or medical instruments. The current conditions offer them only a 50% chane of survival,” says […]
About the Project Each year for the last 11 years, Duke Pediatrician John Moses teaches a class called “Children and the Experience of Illness.” For this class, Duke undergraduates work closely with a child to teach them how to use a camera as a means of exploring illness — which either the child themselves or […]
The Film A LION IN THE HOUSE follows the stories of five exceptional children and their families as they battle pediatric cancer. From the trauma of diagnosis to the physical toll of treatment, this series documents the stresses that can tear a family apart as well as the courage of children facing the possibility of […]
The Film In this short six-minute film, Ben Depp, a photographer, shares the story of his sister Martha, an artist and art teacher, who was diagnosed with an advanced form of ovarian cancer. “I put together a six-minute film on her art, life, and cancer. Her blog has touched thousands including many with terminal cancer.” […]
About the Exhibit The exhibit, “I CANcer: a photo journey,” grew out of a new support group at UNC Hospitals for teens who have survived cancer or rare blood disorders. It was started by recreational therapist/child life specialist Jessica Irven and Dr. Justin Yopp, a psychologist at the N.C. Cancer Hospital. The idea for the […]
The Graduate Medical Education Innovation Fund
The Trent Center for Bioethics, Humanities and History of Medicine
Copyright © 2019 Documenting Medicine: A Program for Physicians.