Posts tagged portrait

This clip from the documentary “LIke Rembrandt Draperies: A Portrait of Cathy Tingle” introduced us to the articulate, intelligent, eccentric subject of the film, Cathy, who lived with cancer and prepared for her death over a ten year period. This moving documentary tells the story of Cathy Tingle, a women who lived with serious cancer (endometrial cancer and adenocarcinoma) for 10 years. The film provides an intimate portrait of her encounters with the health care system, her unique approach to life and death, her relationship with her oncologist, and her community. Through interviews with Cathy at the end of her life, and interviews with her oncologist, friends and family, we learn about Cathys choices to live a simple, rural lifestyle emphasizing family and community; the use of both biomedical and complementary therapies in caring for her health; her special relationship with her oncologist; and her feelings about dying. We also see the unique way in which the community participates in her death and burial. Much of the film focuses on what Cathy needed from health care providers during her odyssey with cancer and how her oncologist cultivated a partnership and friendship with Cathy as part of her care. Because Cathy outlived her prognosis by almost 10 years, her experience of “end of life” care was extensive. This is meant to be an evocative film raising issues about living with cancer, relationships between patients and providers, alternative therapies and lifestyles . . .