{LONG AFTER CANCER film}
Long After Cancer is a documentary about Eden Stotsky, a young adult cancer survivor, who discovers through her own cancer survivorship the courage to face a time of great uncertainty regarding her future well-being. The concept behind Long After Cancer was formulated due to the overwhelming need for such a project indicated by the report, A National Action Plan for Cancer Survivorship: Advancing Public Health Strategies, the 2003 report of the Lance Armstrong Foundation and the Centers of Disease Control.
The report calls for “communication with the general public and policy or decision makers about the issues surrounding cancer survivorship to create a societal understanding and acceptance of the growing population of cancer survivors and the issues they face.” Moreover, at the state level, the Patient Issues Chapter of the State of Maryland’s Comprehensive Cancer Control Plan recommends the need to “develop and implement a multimedia public service campaign to empower the public to be informed” about cancer survivorship.
Films increase awareness about public health-related issues such as mental health and disabilities. Films about cancer rarely depict young adults surviving cancer, few-presented melanoma (a common cancer of young adults), or the psychosocial issues young adult cancer patients face. Documenting the lives of young adult cancer survivors can educate the public about the risk of cancer in young adults; that people do survive cancer, and the psychosocial issues cancer survivors face. Long After Cancer achieves these goals by delivering its message in a candid and honest way - through the eyes and voice of Eden Stotsky, a Stage III Colorectal Cancer Survivor.
{about Eden Stotsky}
"Survivorship means living life to the fullest and being there for other people who have just been diagnosed with cancer." - Eden Stotsky
Eden Stotsky BS, BSN(c), was diagnosed with Stage 3 rectal cancer on November 12, 1997. Just as she was about to start her radiation treatments, her mom gave her a copy of an article about a support group for young adults that was about to start under the auspices of the Ulman Cancer Fund for Young Adults. The support group became an integral part of her cancer journey so much so that she is still a part of the group today. Furthermore, she has served as a member of the Ulman Cancer Fund's Board of Directors for over 8 years.
Currently, she works at the Johns Hopkins Colon Cancer Center where she focuses on educating patients and the community about colorectal cancer. As a patient navigator and educator for newly diagnosed colorectal cancer patients, her goal is to make each patient's journey with cancer less stressful by providing a wide range of support for them. In the community, she focuses on the importance of screening, prevention, and early detection of colorectal cancer. She also spreads the message that colorectal cancer can affect people under the age of 50 and is a strong advocate for patients, under the age of 50, diagnosed with colorectal cancer.
She has a special interest in children and young adults with cancer, living with and beyond cancer, the mental and physical effects of a cancer diagnosis, as well as death and dying. For the work she does with cancer patients, Eden was awarded the American Cancer Society's Lane Adams Quality of Life Award. Another one of her beloved volunteer activities is being a camp counselor at the American Cancer Society's Camp Sunrise. For the work she does with Camp Sunrise, she was awarded the Johns Hopkins Medical Institution's Martin Luther King Award for Community Service and The Daily Record's Healthcare Heroes Award. She is a member of the Colon Cancer Alliance and the Colon Club and is inspired by the work of these organizations. Eden recently completed her Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree at the Johns Hopkins University School of Nursing and will be working as a surgical oncology nurse.