Though lupus, a chronic autoimmune disease, affects approximately 2 million Americans, its symptoms and challenges are paralleled in the tens-of-millions affected by rheumatoid arthritis, fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue syndrome and other chronic illnesses. For Life: More Stories of Lupus is a model project using both documentary video and an interactive website. The documentary will investigate the following themes: 1) what is chronic illness?; 2) how can you cope and heal with a chronic illness?; and, 3) how can western medicine and complementary and alternative medicine work together?

In October 1997, Marcia Urbin Raymond, who is living with lupus herself, documented with Karin Mellberg the lives of 6 people living with lupus in Stories of Lupus. In October 2000, Ms. Raymond
will chronicle the lives of the same people to explore the unpredictable nature of chronic illness, and the different ways people manage their health. Universal issues of living with a chronic illness will be addressed, such as: How does a person with a potentially life-threatening chronic illness face the uncertainty of their disease everyday? What complementary treatment options do they choose? What medical options do they choose? And, what plans do they have to create a sense of well being over a lifetime of illness? The documentary's style will be to witness specific ways in which to heal with a chronic illness rather than just hear recounted stories.

Lupus is a systemic illness that biologically can affect the entire body, and psychosocially changes the entire family system and life of the person with the illness. All of the people in For Life: More Stories of Lupus have used conventional western medical treatment. Some are combining mainstream medicine with complementary methods; Ms. Raymond is currently the only person using complementary methods only. By documenting two people exploring both forms of healing for three months, viewers can observe the challenges and the results.

This project requires a total of $280,643 to produce the documentary (targeted for national television), in addition to create and maintain an interactive website. Private foundations, corporations and individuals are being approached for an initial $118,795 needed for pre-production and production phases. A request for the remaining $161,848 is being made to the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation {RWJF} for post-production and public relations. The project has 501(c)(3) status through Film/Video Arts {New York}, the project's fiscal agent.

Stories of Lupus, which was partially funded by a grant of $78,000 from RWJF in 1999, was co-produced and directed by Ms. Raymond. This award-winning documentary will continue to air on national PBS for the next two years and has been distributed widely to the 50 chapters of the Lupus Foundation of America {LFA}, the Arthritis Foundation {AF} as well as to hospitals, libraries, and women's organizations.

The shooting schedule for For Life: More Stories of Lupus will require 27 days in October 2000, during Lupus Awareness Month, and six days in January 2001 for follow-up interviews with the two people exploring complementary medicine. Aware of the physical toll this kind of production schedule demands, Ms. Raymond has chosen a seasoned crew. The production crew includes: the key cameraman of Stories of Lupus Michael Anderson, who has over thirty-five years experience in shooting documentaries; Dan Gleich, a veteran location sound mixer for video and film; and Amy Jacobson, the project's Production Manager, worked on Stories of Lupus and has a sister living with lupus. One of the world's leading internet-solution providers and digital video editing facilities, iXL, has built For Life: More Stories of Lupus' website {www.morestoriesoflupus.com} with state-of-the-art technology creating a major hub of interactive information as well as editing the documentary for broadcast television.

www.morestoriesoflupus.com
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