For Life: More Stories of Lupus
Millions of people in the United States live with chronic debilitating illnesses. Nearly two million Americans have lupus. This grant proposal is requesting support to produce an interactive website and documentary. The potential impact - millions of Americans through its airing on national broadcast television, and millions of people around the world through the unique video diaries and information on the website.
The title of the documentary "For Life" is a double entendre. It tells you the purpose of this project:
1] to explore the universal issues people face with a chronic illness; 2] how they cope and heal with disease on a daily basis. For Life: More Stories of Lupus will witness how six people from Stories of Lupus, three years later, use a variety of tools to heal: art, prayer, community outreach and complementary medicine, to name just a few. And, we'll investigate what chronic means. Is it really for life? Rather than hear recounted stories as we did in Stories of Lupus, we'll witness change through actively participating in the lives of the interviewees.
The benefits of this project:
- To witness challenges and breakthroughs by people who have struggled with a chronic illness and to encounter their daily challenges and triumphs.
- To present complementary and alternative methods {CAM} as additional tools for healing the spirit, particularly when the spirit may be dimmed by illness.
- To create dialogues and address difficult subjects with children, such as death.
- To see how the bridges between Western medicine and CAM can be built.
- To witness the heartbreak and strength of children losing their teenage years either to illness or as caretakers; to learn about their powerful coping skills to re-define their lives and their dreams.
- To illustrate how family and friends deal with their loved one's chronic illness.
- To educate and inform about the specific signs of lupus on the website as well as create links to other relevant chronic illness websites.
- To appreciate the indomitable human spirit of those who survive, and who choose new ways to soothe their physical, emotional and spiritual health.
The project's intentions are to illustrate the multitude of questions and factors that are a part of living with a chronic illness. And rather than give black and white answers, the goal is to inspire, empower, connect, and provide options to those who must walk a challenging path daily.
Press Releases
For Life: More Stories of Lupus
First Internet Docu-Thon™ to Benefit Lupus Documentary
Leave your Sneakers in the Closet -
IXL Produces an Interactive Website that's "E-Philanthropy"
(Los Angeles, California) September 21, 2000
Organization Information
Production Schedule
Executive Summary
Statement of Need
Project Description
Brown & Dutch
2300 Las Flores Canyon
Malibu, California 90265
(310) 456·7151
FAX (310) 456·3552
Email: info@bdpr.com