patient | Patient Commando

Michael Seres – The Man With Olympic Sized Guts

Posted on July 5, 2012 by Zal in Patient Commando Blog

The morning after my first bowel resection over 21 years ago, I was lying in bed still woozy from anesthetic. A troop of white coated doctors entered the room and surrounded my bed. It was my surgical team.

The lead resident was filling me in on how successful the operation was, how much bowel was removed, when he added, “Oh, by the way, while we were in there we removed your appendix too.”

He was much too casual about taking one of my body parts. I panicked momentarily, groping myself between my legs to make sure the surgeons hadn’t got carried away “while they were in there”!

I’ve learned to live with the consequences of those missing lengths for a couple of decades. I know I’ve been lucky. There are people in far worse condition than me. Then 5 days ago I came across Michael Seres online.

Michael didn’t just have a bowel resection. After years of chronic Crohn’s disease his bowel completely collapsed. A resection wasn’t going to do the trick. He needed a whole new bowel and was slated to be one of the very first people in the UK to undergo a bowel transplant.

The transplant took place in October, 2011. It [...] continue the story

Tagged Under: anesthetic, bowel transplant, chronic illness, Crohn's Disease, doctors, experience, family, games, live streaming, london 2012, london2012torchrelay, michael seres, olympics, operation, patient, procedure, relay, resection, story, torch, torchbearer, video

The Fringe Festival Pushes Patient Story Into the Fray

Posted on June 19, 2012 by Eamonn in Patient Commando Blog

The Toronto Fringe Festival is arguably the city’s largest theatre event. This summer from July 4-15, over 150 performances will be presented to an expected audience of 100,000. That’s a whopping 4% of Toronto’s population.

What makes the Fringe exciting is the process in how acts are selected for the festival. Each year hundreds of creative applicants send in their ballot to have a show slotted for a Fringe playbill. With no judge or jury, the shows are picked at random, making for a wildly organic and impressive lineup.

Fringe audiences are accustomed to alternative theatre. Which is why it’s the perfect environment to showcase the new, truthful, gritty, and sometimes slightly less glamourous stories. In our minds The Fringe is also the ideal arena for patient storytelling.

Last year proved this with the highly acclaimed performance of Daniel Stolfi’s “Cancer Can’t Dance Like This”. Daniel’s show has since gone on to win the Canadian Comedy Award for Best One Person Show, and garner national attention.

This year will be no different. In fact this year’s program offers at least two patient story events for public consumption. Details of these shows below. Healing Through Theatre Host: Brian G. Smith (Second City Alumni) Panel: Zal Press (Patient Commando), Dr. Jeremy [...] continue the story

Tagged Under: 2012, acting, alternative, annex theatre, canadian comedy awards, Cancer Can't Dance Like This, dan mackay, Daniel Stolfi, eat poo love, evan mackay, events, festival, fringe, healing, health, honest ed's, jeremy rezmovitz, patient, paul clements, performance, randolph theatre, Stories, summer, Theatre, Toronto, Zal Press

“Valleys”: Successfully Funded on Kickstarter

Posted on April 12, 2012 by Eamonn in Community Action, Patient Commando Blog

On with the show!

Our congratulations to Mike Lang (Director) and Amy Aubin (Star) of the soon to launch web documentary “Valleys”. In the final days of crowd-funding, this dynamic duo managed to raise an impressive $18,000 via Kickstarter.

As the Director of Photography for the Toronto portion of this series I am pleased to know that “Valleys” will be developed as Mike originally intended. It was evident when the trailer was launched last week that Amy’s story was powerful and necessary to share.

We look forward to updating you on “Valleys” as news becomes available.

Here’s a snippet from Amy’s blog – sharing her excitement: Wow – so Valleys the movie will be happening; in 30 days we managed to raise our goal of $17,000.00 thanks to a lot of people with big hearts! Mikey said he had never raised this much and well neither had I; this past weekend we had our doubts as we had been stuck at the $5,000.00 mark but today we made it to $17,000.00 so thank you, thank you, thank you to everyone who has helped in any and every way. No effort or donation is too small and I thank all of you from the bottom of my [...] continue the story

Tagged Under: about cancer, amy aubin, Cancer, crowd funding, expedition, journey, kickstarter, mike lang, patient, patient story, valleys, web series, young adult cancer canada

Two “Patients” Could Use Your Vote

Posted on April 11, 2012 by Eamonn in Patient Commando Blog

It’s this time each year that I notice an increased excitement, a buzz, in most of the people I work with. Some would account this behaviour to the onset of Spring, but I say it’s for a different season altogether. The Webby Award season.

Each year the Webby Awards honour the best of the web. Now in their 16th year, their ever expanding categories include interactive, mobile and apps. If TED talks are the new innovative “ideas worth spreading” then the Webbys are the ideas that have worked. The creative eyes of the world tune into this award ceremony each year and just about every agency wants their work showcased here.

Our congratulations then to the individuals, agencies and foundations that saw TWO (2) patient stories listed on this year’s nominee ballot.

Under the online film & video category of Public Service and Activism both Dear 16-year-old Me by the David Cornfield Melanoma Fund and Living With Alzheimer’s by Relate Digital for the Alzheimer’s Foundation of America, (featured below respectively) are listed.

While next year’s ballot will most likely include KONY 2012 (lessons to learn when your campaign goes viral), this year, it’s all about the patient. We’re asking you, our community to help make these videos even [...] continue the story

Tagged Under: 2012, alzheimer's, awards, david cornfield, dear 16 year old me, disease, kony, living, melanoma, nominee, patient, patton oswalt, story, viral, webby

“Valleys”: A DP’s Perspective

Posted on April 5, 2012 by Eamonn in Community Action, Patient Commando Blog

Last week I was whisked away to Georgetown, Ontario. A young and talented Director from Alberta had hired me as his Director of Photography and all encompassing “camera guy”, for his newly envisioned web series.

Mike Lang, is the Director, and “Valleys” is his new project.

Diagnosed with Hodgkins Lymphoma at the age of 25, Mike rapidly launched Survive & Thrive Expeditions, an organization that seeks to connect young adult cancer patients with peers. Whether it’s a whitewater trip down a river or a serene sailing trip along the inlets of Canada’s west coast – Survive & Thrive (STE) has provided much needed solitude and support to courageous patients.

And if this wasn’t enough, Mike had cameras rolling the entire time. During these past few years Mike has cut together footage of his expeditions and the intimate interviews captured between survivors.

With this he has already created two uniquely inspirational and mind expanding films, “Wrong Way to Hope” and “Ebb & Flow”. Mike’s films have been used as educational materials by health institutes to provide a common link between practitioners and patients.

Determined isn’t quite enough to describe Mike as he now tackles creating his third film project in only a few short years.

With the next STE [...] continue the story

Tagged Under: about cancer, baby, Cancer, director, ebb & flow, expedition, filmmaker, grand canyon, mike lang, miracle, patient, patient experience, patient story, river, tours, valleys, white water rafting, wrong way to hope