Defining Hope
77 mins
We aren't dying the way we used to. We have ventilators, dialysis machines, ICUs-technologies that can "fix" us and keep our bodies alive-which have radically changed how we make medical decisions. In our death-denying culture, no matter how sick we get, there is always "hope." Defining Hope tells the story of patients dealing with life-threatening illness as they move between ICUs, operating rooms, hospice care and home. Diane is a nurse caring for end-stage cancer patients when she is diagnosed with ovarian cancer herself. 23-year-old Alena undergoes a risky brain surgery that destroys her short-term memory. 95-year-old Berthold lives with his elderly wife who struggles to honor his wish of dying peacefully at home. Defining Hope follows these patients and others- and the nurses that guide them along the way- as they face death, embrace hope, and ultimately redefine what makes life worth living.
Berthold Cohen
Self
Carmen Hernandez
Self
Deborah LaFond
Self - Nurse
JoAnn Nayer-Grutza
Self - Nurse
Gilbert Oakley
Self - Nurse
Diane Ryan
Self - Nurse
Alena Sydnor
Self
Carole Bailey
Self
Nina Marrero
Self
Raoul Marrero
Self
Jaka Vinšek
Director of Photography
Candace Thompson
Editor
Lisa Frank
Assistant Director
Jeannie Patz Blaustein
Executive Producer
Kate Judge
Executive Producer
Laura Israel
Editor
Anna Rooney
Associate Producer
Lisa Frank
Producer
Chelsea A. Smith
Editor