Who Helps the Healers?
Aired June 20, 2006 on 90.3 WCPN
This week, we focus on the topic of children with cancer - stories of struggle, survival and loss. Starting Wednesday night on WVIZ, the PBS documentary A Lion in the House will plunge viewers into the lives of five families who are trying to cope with their children's struggle with cancer. Over the course of four hours, the filmmakers show how the stress of this often terminal disease affects not just the patient, but also nearly everyone he or she touches. It's the focal point of our look all this week at childhood cancer. This morning we begin with the perspective of those who are often left out of the emotional equation - perhaps mistakenly so. That's the medical staff. ideastream's David C. Barnett examines who helps heal the healers.
A Lion in the House Premiere at Sundance
Aired June 21, 2006 on 90.3 WCPN
Julia Reichert and Steven Bognar's documentary on childhood cancer had it's premiere at the Sundance Film Festival in Park City Utah this past January. ideastream's David C. Barnett spoke with the filmmakers at Sundance about the origins of A Lion in the House.
Courage of a Lion: Bognar & Reichert Interview
Aired June 21, 2006 on 90.3 WCPN
Filmmakers Steven Bognar and Julia Reichert are intimately familiar with childhood cancer. They spent six years following five families who fought childhood cancer. And, unbeknownst to the doctors who asked them to make the movie about pediatric cancer and these children and families who fought it, their own daughter had survived lymphoma. They spoke with ideastream's Dan Moulthrop about making the movie and why it's so difficult to talk about the end of life.
90.3 at 9: A Lion in the House
Aired June 21, 2006 on 90.3 WCPN
Parents worry about their kids - their safety, education, future. And their health. When a child's health is compromised, it can send whole families into a tailspin. We're looking at the effects of childhood cancer this week, particularly the impact it can have on families. We'll speak with a man who lost his 10-year-old daughter to cancer, with a psychologist, and a pediatric oncologist - and we'll take your calls Wednesday morning on 90.3 at 9.
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All Things Considered: Film Chronicles Challenges of Pediatric Cancer
Aired June 21, 2006 on 90.3 WCPN
Wednesday evening, many PBS stations across the country will broadcast the first part of a new documentary that explores the impact of childhood cancer on five Ohio families. A Lion in the House takes an unflinching look at a subject that many viewers may find uncomfortable. Filmmakers Julia Reichert and Steven Bognar intimately chronicle a period of six years as they follow the families in their battles with cancer. The idea for A Lion in the House came from the head oncologist at Cincinnati Children's Hospital, but Reichert had personal experience with the subject matter: Her own daughter was diagnosed with cancer at age 16, and recovered.
Ideas: The Power of A Picture
Aired June 22, 2006 on WVIZ/PBS
They are the little fighters, children coping with cancer. Now a nonprofit organization, Flashes of Hope, creates portraits of these brave kids, helping them feel better about their changing appearance, by celebrating it. Award winning photographers in cities all over the country turn hospital rooms into photo shoots, creating lasting images that reveal hope, bravery and determination. Flashes of Hope now operates in over five cities, with 25 more cities on waiting lists, but it all began in Beachwood, Ohio. On the next Ideas, meet founder Allison Clark and see the pictures you'll never forget.
Ideas: The Fight We're Not Winning
Aired June 22, 2006 on WVIZ/PBS
In the fight against cancer, we are winning more than ever before. Cancer survival rates are up for just about every segment of the population, except teenagers. Cancer doctors are now acknowledging that in cancer research and treatment, teenagers are getting left out - and suffering. Others say the statistics can also be traced to the fact that parents, even doctors, just don't think teens get cancer. Often tell tale warning signs are overlooked as growing spurts or sports injuries. On the next Ideas, we'll look at the fight against cancer - that we're not winning - and talk about why.
A Lion in the House (Parts 1 & 2)
Aired June 21-22, 2006 on WVIZ/PBS
PBS's documentary A Lion in the House plunged viewers into the lives of five families trying to cope with their children's struggle with cancer. Over the course of four hours, filmmakers Steven Bognar and Julia Reichert showed how the stress of this often terminal disease affects not just the patient, but also nearly everyone he or she touches. A Lion in the House tells the stories of five children: Alex, a seven-year-old bundle of energy with dark eyes and curls; Tim, a mercurial, quick-witted 16-year-old with a thousand-watt smile; Justin, amiable and stalwart at 19 despite 10 years of fighting cancer; Jen, a serious, quiet six-year-old; and Al, a quicksilver, wry 11-year-old.
