Guinevere MacDonald

Senior Capstone Project

Monday, May 4th, 2015

The American Film Industry's Portrayal of Cancer: How It Influences The Way Viewers
Think About How They Live Their Lives

Abstract
A paper discussing how films about cancer influence the way that viewers think about
how they live their own lives. Directed towards the general public, more specifically applies to
the avid movie watcher. It is an attempt to change the way viewers think about how they watch
movies; instead of focusing on the graphics or which actor is in it to listen to the story that is
being told and what message the film is trying to send. In depth research on articles that claim
movies of all variety affect the way people live their lives is addressed followed by a discussion
on how the public responded to several films about cancer including The Fault in Our Stars and
50/50. Primary sources from first hand conducted research is then discussed about how it was
collected and the data that was gathered. It is concluded that viewers are influenced to think
about how they live their lives in one of three different ways after seeing clips of movies about
cancer; to live each day to the fullest, to be more grateful for their lives, or to be more cautious.
After listening to interview clips participants said that it influenced them to either think about
being more grateful for their lives, encouraged them to seize the day more, cautioned them to be
more careful, or made them realize how precious life is because cancer really can happen to
anyone.

Film has been a part of culture for over a century now, increasingly becoming a
prominent industry and a very common source of entertainment in The United States. The
average American has been known to watch 5 hours of televised programing including movies a
day.1 From movies on planes to trailers on television, cinema is such a large part of our culture
today and is constantly influencing us as we take it in day to day. Another large part of our
culture today is the disease cancer, as known for being the second leading cause of death in the
United States, following heart disease. It was estimated that 14.5 million living Americans have
had a history of cancer since January 1st, 20142. Many films today have adopted the topic of
cancer and immersed it in stories and plots for many reasons including entertainment value and
because it is an important cause that affects millions of people each day. Films about one of the
leading causes of death are so entertaining and popular because they make the viewers think
about their own mortality even if it is just for the 120 minutes that they are watching the film.
When presented with a life threatening disease, peoples lives change not only as a result of the
treatments but also as a result from having a serious condition. Some people presented with
cancer might become more cautious than others who decide to seize the day and live each and
every last minute to its full capacity. A division is created between people who have experienced
a serious illness such as cancer and those who have not; it is a gap of understanding how to live
life. These films about cancer are attempting to help shorten that gap and improve the viewers
understanding on what it is like to live with cancer. There is no doubt that some viewers may
walk away from watching films like The Bucket List, The Fault in Our Stars, 50/50, My Sisters

1 Hinckley, David. "Average American Watches 5 Hours of TV per Day." NY Daily News. New York Daily
News, 5 Mar. 2014. Web. 03 May 2015.
2 Cancer Treatment & Survivorship Facts & Figures." Cancer Treatment| Survivor Facts & Figures| American
Cancer Society. American Cancer Society, 1 Jan. 2014. Web. 03 May 2015.

Keeper, A Walk to Remember3 and think that the graphics were poor or the acting could have
been better or the story line is fake but there is a story behind each film and every viewer sees
that. Viewers walk away from the film thinking about how they live their own lives and how that
pertains to the film they just watched. It reminds them of their own mortality and makes them
think about how they spend their days because they witness people living with a disease that has
a large chance of affecting the viewer's own life at some point or another and they see those same
people accomplishing life goals. From data I have collected from participants in a focus group,
many people have the same responses on how they live their lives after seeing movie clips from
cancer focused films and clips from interviews with cancer patients. The majority of viewers
walk away from films thinking about living their lives differently in a way they can appreciate
each moment better, be more thankful for their health or want to be more cautious with the daily
decisions they make. All of these ideas influence and even determine how a viewer will live their
life and what decisions they make throughout their lifetime.
The human population is influenced to some degree by everything they experience; even
120-minute films have an impact. No matter what the film is about it makes the viewer think
about something in those 120 minutes. George Gerbner and Larry Gross discuss this idea in their
1976 article, The Scary World Of TVs Heavy Viewer4. They address that violent films can create
a more aggravated or violent viewer among the population. Gerbner and Gross go on to describe
the studies they conducted to see the affects that watching particular kinds of cinema has on the
viewer of all ages. They discuss that people who watch television more frequently than others
influence those heavy viewers to perceive the real world as more dangerous than viewers who do
3 A Walk to Remember. Dir. Adam Shankman. By Nicholas Sparks. Screenplay by Karen Janszen. Perf. Mady
Moore, Shane West, Peter Coyote,. Warner Brothers, 2003. DVD.
4 Gross, Larry, and George Gerbner. "The Scary World of TV's Heavy Viewer." Psychology Today Magazine
(1976): n. pag. Web. 16 Mar. 2015.

not watch television as often. They shared their research that heavy television viewers were 35
percent more likely to check cant be too careful when asked, Can most people be trusted?
This shows that viewers are influenced by cinema in their daily lives to the extent that it makes
an impact on them. They focus majorly on how light viewing versus heavy viewing of cinema
makes an impact on how viewers live their lives. Their studies pertain to how cinema makes an
impact on how viewers live their lives and why it is important to pay attention to what they are
watching and how it could impact them.
The discussion on how viewers are affected by films in a continuous conversations that is
discussed in many different ways. Loranne Yuan discusses in her article, How Movies Affect
Peoples Lives5, how romance movies increases the amount of public display of affection (PDA)
there is in present day culture. Yuan describes how thousands of movies with a romantic
influence are produced and released to the public today. These movies focus on peoples
relationships and have scenes with couples kissing, holding hands, and embracing each other in a
public crowd. Yuan claims that it is because of the film industries prominence in young culture
that teens and young adults are more likely to take part in PDA. She describes this fact as a result
from romantic movies, not that it is the only factor but that it is a major contributing factor. Yuan
makes a point that movies of all topics of life from romance to violence to documentaries has the
power to influence the audience in some form.
How viewers respond to a film can make or break it. If the viewers think that the graphics were
too poor to enjoy the film or that the action scenes were lacking they are entitled to those
opinions. However, every movie has a message, some more important than others but a message

5 Yaun, LorAnne. "How Movies Affect People's Lives." How Movies Affect People's Lives. Academia.edu, n.d.
Web. 16 Mar. 2015.

just the same. Websites such as Rotten Tomatoes6 and Plugged In7 allow viewers to rate movies
majorly based on entertainment value. People make their own judgments on whether or not the
film does a sufficient job telling the story. The Fault in Our Stars8 is a very popular film with a
box office value of $124.9 million. There have been many spoofs and remakes of the film on
social media such as spoofing the romantic quote between characters Augustus and Hazel,
okay? Okay into pizza? Pizza. as seen in the photo below.

As comical as these spoofs can be it goes to show how some viewers are not looking at the
bigger picture and as a result influence others who may have not seen the film to form an opinion
of their own based off of the other persons views. These reactions to the story of The Fault in
Our Stars are appropriate but not comprehensive. Frank Augustus Middle School in California
banned the novel The Fault in Our Stars by John Green on the grounds that the story deals with

6 "The Fault in Our Stars Review." Rotten Tomatoes. N.p., n.d. Web.
7 The Fault in Our Stars | Video Review | Plugged In." The Fault in Our Stars | Video Review | Plugged In. Plugged
In, n.d. Web.
8 The Fault in Our Stars. Dir. Josh Boone. Screenplay by Scott Neustadter and Michael H. Weber. By John Green.
Perf. Shailene Woodley, Ansel Elgort, Nat Wolff. Fox 2000 Pictures, 2014. DVD.

morality and sex9. The Riverside school district is allowed to make this decision but received
quite an amount of opposition when the situation was presented to the media. John Green
responded to the school districts decision to ban the book,
I guess I am both happy and sad, I am happy because apparently young people in Riverside,
California will never witness or experience mortality since they wont be reading my book,
which is great for them. But I am also sad because I was really hoping I would be able to
introduce the idea that human beings die to the children of Riverside, California and thereby
crush their dreams of immortality."10
Greens response has been published in many articles supporting both sides of the school
district's decision. Green is sarcastic in his response because morality and sex are major
components to life and to deprive a person of knowledge of those subjects does not prepare them
for the world they live in. Green did not completely make up the story for The Fault in Our Stars
there was an inspiration to the novel making banning the novel an attempt to shelter middle
school children from what life can entail. With the film and novels growing popularity the
question of where the story came from is asked. People wanted to know how John Green was
inspired to write this story that became an award winning novel and film. Esther Earl was the
answer. Esther Grace Earl from Beverly, Massachusetts met John Green at a Boston Harry Potter
convention. Their friendship later developed and John Green comments that, every word in that
book [The Fault in Our Stars] depends on her.11 Esther Earls sister, Evangeline Earl, writes an
article for the Washington Post about how The Fault in Our Stars is her sisters sequel not a
9 Gibson, Megan. "John Green's Response To "The Fault In Our Stars" Being Banned Is Perfect." Time. Time, 29
Sept. 2014. Web. 03 Mar. 2015
10 Hurt, Suzanne. "RIVERSIDE: 'Fault in Our Stars' Banned from Middle Schools." The Press Enterprise. N.p., 28
Sept. 2014. Web.
11 Earl, Evangeline. "My Sister Esther Inspired 'The Fault in Our Stars.' The Movie Is Her Sequel." Washington
Post. The Washington Post, 12 June 2014. Web. 20 Mar. 2015.

remake of her life. Evangeline goes on to describe the parallels between Esther and Hazel in the
article from waking up in the middle of the night not being about to breathe and having their
father carry them to an ambulance. In addition to Hazel and Esther expressing that they wish
they didnt have to deal with cancer. Hazel expressed this in a lower part of the movie how she,
didnt want this particular life while Esther expressed this in one of her YouTube videos, I
sometimes wish Id never gone through this.12 Evangeline dissects the film to improve upon the
viewers understanding of the true idea behind the story. That the movie does not have cancer in it
so it can make the romance more powerful and interesting but because real people experience
these moments in their daily lives. Evangeline does not react to the film in a derogatory manner
because it does not match up or compare to that of Esthers journey; she looks at the film for how
it represents a story of a young girl suffering from cancer surrounded by family and friends.
A more serious film about cancer, 50/5013 written by Will Reiser was a generally well-liked film
having a 93% recommendation rate on RottenTomatoes.com. Minimal spoofs and comedic
remakes were made about 50/50. The film is based on the real story of the writer Will Reiser.
Reiser is friends with Seth Rogen who plays Reisers character in the film and the film is
inspired by their experience together when Reiser had a rare malignant tumor in his spine just
has the main character in the film does. Richard LeBeau wrote an article for Psychology In
Action claiming that, the film handles the difficult subject matter - what happens when a young
man still transitioning into adulthood is given the news that he may die - with wit, insight and
grace. This film received more positive feedback from viewers because it was advertised as a
movie based on a true story meanwhile The Fault in Our Stars was not because it was not
entirely based on Esthers, life only somewhat so it could not be advertised that way. People are
12 Earl, Esther. "HELLO THERE." YouTube. YouTube, 2009. Web. 06 Mar. 2015.
13 50/50. Dir. Jonathan Levine. By Will Reiser. Perf. Seth Rogen, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Anna Kendrick,. Summit
Entertainment, 2011. DVD.

intrigued by real life stories just as many people are intrigued by reality television. People want
to know what other people are up to; its human nature. When a film is based off of a true story it
forces the viewers to think about their own lives and how that can happen to them just as it
happened to the characters in the film because it is real.
Aside from the movie reviews there is substantial evidence that these movies have an
impact large enough on the viewer to influence them to get involved with cancer organizations.
Facts on how much money is donated to cancer foundations each year and when movies are
released match up to about the same time. A main trend found in the following graphs show that
starting in 2008 there was a significant climb in how much was donated (graph 114, graph 215) to
the pediatric oncology research and Rosemary D. Gurner Memorial Cancer Fund. In 2007
several films about cancer were released; The Bucket List, Crazy Sexy Cancer which were then
followed by the 2008 films, Living Proof and the 2009 films, My Sisters Keeper and Stricken.
There is no definite way to say that the films had a for certain effect on the amount of donations
to cancer foundations but many films were released at the same times a large spike in donations
occurred. This increase in donations could have been caused by other factors such as better
campaigning for the disease or because more families were being affected by cancer.

14 "So, Where Does the Money Go: Childhood Cancer Research Funding (2010) ((2014 Hasn't Changed Much))." People Against Childhood Cancer. PAC2, 15 July 2010. Web. 04 Mar. 2015.
15 About | Bike For Cancer Care." Bike For Cancer Care. Benedict Health Foundation, 12 Sept. 2014. Web. 04
Mar. 2015.

Graph 1.

Graph 2.
I conducted focus groups to obtain first hand responses on films about cancer. I chose clips from
three films The Fault in Our Stars, 50/50, and The Bucket List. Following the clips I asked the
viewers several questions that can be seen in the responses packet. I then played clips of
interviews I conducted with cancer patients and asked a few questions on their thoughts and
reactions, which can also be referenced in the responses packet. The first film I decided to show
was The Fault in Our Stars. I chose to show this film because of its popularity so it would be
familiar to people in the audience. In addition the film was inspired by Esther Earl a real girl who

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passed away due to cancer in August of 2010. I also tried to show certain clips from the movie
where the viewers would think about it differently or in a sense more focused on how Hazel was
living with cancer. I chose to show three clips from the film the first being Hazel talking about
the many doctors appointments she has to go to, all of the pills she must take daily and the
oxygen tank she has to drag around wherever she goes. She also talks about how the only thing
worse than being a kid dying of cancer is to have a kid dying of cancer. This clip shows the daily
nuisance that having cancer entails; a never-ending prescription of possible cures. The second
clip I showed from this film was when Hazel wakes up in the middle of the night unable to
breathe because of her lungs filling up with fluid. Her dad carries her to the car in a dramatic
flash and Hazel is later confronted by her doctors that she is unable to go to Denmark. Not only
does this scene show the unexpected factor of the disease and how life threatening it can be at
any moment it shows how invasive cancer can be on the whole family. The second reason I
chose this clip was because of the doctor telling Hazel she wouldnt be able to go to Denmark
because she was too ill this displays how cancer can get in the way of life and dreams. The last
clip I showed from this movie was when Hazels boyfriend Augustus, a brave comedic soul, calls
Hazel in the middle of the night to come help him at a gas station. Augustus has an infection
from the tube in his stomach because of cancer and starts to vomit blood. At the end of this clip
his mother tells Hazel that they are going to stop the chemotherapy meaning there is nothing else
the doctors can do to help Augustus fight his cancer. I chose this clip because I wanted there to
be a tear jerking reality to Shailene Woodleys acting. Augustus scene is an example of the
physical and mental struggle people with cancer can experience. The helplessness and illness in
one moment can hit home to make the viewer realize this is a serious and real issue.

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The second film I decided to show was The Bucket List16 because it had a larger comedic
value and positivity to it. The film title gives away the idea behind it but a large sense of the film
revolved around carpe diem and that idea that life needs to be lived now rather than later. I chose
to show two scenes from this film the first being the two main characters played by Morgan
Freeman and Jack Nicholson making the bucket list together. They discussed what was important
to them and what should be on it. They made fun of each other in a brotherly way, laughing at
each others bucket list recommendations. I thought this clip was important to show because it
shed a lot of positivity on the fact that they were estimated to live only months longer and
showed the idea of carpe diem. The second clip I decided to show was before Morgan Freeman
characters surgery. Freeman hands Nicholson a paper explaining that the expensive coffee he
treasures is made from cat poo. It is a tender moment when they laugh until they cry, which is on
their bucket list, and then when the laughter passes realize this is their last moment together. This
was a serious part of the film made into a comical, sentimental moment between best friends. I
showed these clips because they make the viewer think about their friends, the silly things they
do together and how much those moments mean in the larger spectrum of things.
The last film I decided to show was 50/50 because it was based on a true story and was relatively
well known. This film had a realistic representation of what it is like to live with cancer without
being over dramatic, since it was real. I chose to show two clips from this film the first being
when the main character, Adam, played by Joseph Gordon Levitt is first diagnosed with cancer.
He is in disbelief and everything is muted, he walks out the hospital and everything is out of
focus. I thought this part was important to show because the diagnosis is a day many cancer
patients and survivors do not forget. The second clip I showed was when Adams friend from
16 The Bucket List. Dir. Rob Reiner. By Justin Zackham. Perf. Jack Nicholson, Morgan Freeman, Sean Hayes.
Warner Brothers, 2008. DVD.

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chemotherapy dies one day and he is very caught off guard. Like the clip of Hazel waking up in
the middle of the night this showed how unexpected cancer can be because Adam says to his
friend that told him of Mitchs death, what do you mean he is dead? He was here yesterday. In
addition this scene displays how cancer does not only affect the patient but also their family and
friends.
The interviews I decided to show included audio clips from two women who have
survived cancer and three quotes from a recent lung cancer survivor. The first of the interviews I
played was with Grace Connelly, a stage-4 melanoma survivor. I decided to include her interview
because she had what doctors describe as an unsympathetic cancer because melanoma can be
caused from too much UV radiation from the sun. Although she says she never sunbathed before
having cancer made her very weary of the sun. I played a clip where she describes being more
cautious with how she protects herself from the sun each day. I also played a clip from her
interview when she described how she was diagnosed. I wanted the interview clips and movie
clips to correlate so the viewers would see a diagnosis in a movie and listen to what actually
happen with a real cancer patient.
The second interview I played at the focus group was Mrs. Ziomek, a teacher at Newton
North High School who had stage 2b/3a breast cancer. I chose her interview because not only is
this a community that she feels comfortable in discussing her experiences with the disease but
also because she had such positivity and motivation for an improved life. I played several clips
from her interview including a story about several of her students from different religious
backgrounds telling her that they are all going to pray together for her so that way theyll have all
of the bases covered. In addition to her describing how her children reacted to her shaving her
head; her son would ask his friends if he had ever seen a bald girl and her daughter would rub her

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head every night before she went to bed. Even though these clips do not go into detail of doctors
appointments or pill taking they gave a reality and bright side to the disease that was refreshing
to the listeners.
The last interview I decided to share was with Patricia Merchant a stage 3a lung cancer
patient. I displayed quotes from the interview on a three page slideshow; the first being about her
first thoughts after her diagnosis. She shared that she was ashamed because she was a smoker
and now had severe lung cancer; she goes on to say that she felt poorly until her oncologist told
her, people who smoke never get cancer, and people who never smoke get cancer. I thought
this was an interesting case because unlike Grace Connelly who had a non-sympathetic cancer all
the same Patricia actually did the thing that has been known to cause her cancer. Another quote
that I shared was about how she made a bucket list, which I used to help for a parallel between
the interviews and the movie clips. The last quote was about how Patricia said she has heard that
cancer is never really cured. I wanted to leave the viewers with that thought on how it is a
constant disease that cannot always be 100% cured as showed in films such as Jack Nicholsons
character in The Bucket List and Adam in 50/50.
I gathered 52 responses from my focus groups. The responses to the question in what
ways does the clips focus on living with cancer make you think about your own life? on sheet B
#7 were filtered into three categories being, more cautious, carpe diem, and thankful. 6 viewers
said that the movie films made them think about being more cautious in their own lives while 24
said it made them think about appreciating each day more by focusing on what is important to
them, and 22 viewers said that the movie clips made them think about how thankful they are for
their health. I was expecting the responses to be either more cautious or carpe diem with given
outliers but the thankful category surprised me. It was surprisingly something I had never took

14

into consideration before and it ended up being close to what half of the viewers thought. In
response to the question what message do you think these stories send? after playing clips
from interviews 11 viewers said that it made them want to appreciate their lives more, 13 said it
made them want to live their lives to the fullest, 10 said it encouraged them to think about being
more cautious, and 15 viewers said that it made them realize that cancer can really happen to
anyone. There was 1 response that stated they did not think about their lives any differently from
watching the movie clips and listening to the interview clips. There were two other responses
that did not answer the question.
Several quotes that stood out to me one in particular was an answer to question #4 C,
what will you remember from these clips? and the response was, the laughter was a
wonderful sound. The same viewer went into depth on the next question, #5 C, about losing a
loved one which was brought up on many response sheets but this particular response was
cohesive and direct. The question asked, In what ways do you think you can relate to these
clips? and the viewer responds with, when we lose someone, we learn what it means to have
someone. We hold people closer after we lose someone. Another response that stood out to me
was from a different participant on question #6 B, in what ways does the clips focus on living
with cancer make you think about your own life? they respond with, it makes me recognize
how insignificant some of my problems are and how I spend hours upset about something that
ultimately isnt a big deal at all. This response stuck out to me because during my interview
with Mrs. Ziomek she discussed how she thinks cancer was a reality check to appreciate her life
in the way it influences others. She explains that whenever she thinks the cancer could have
come back it is a check in to herself that she could be too focused on herself and her own life
rather than branching out to others. This is a response that made the whole process worthwhile

15

because everyone needs a reality check sometimes that there are bigger problems to tackle than a
math test or a track race.
As prominent and entertaining as the film industry is today in the culture of The United
States so is the disease cancer as the second leading cause of death. The two work alongside each
other to affect Americans daily from all sides of life. Films about cancer are not always wrong,
many films such as 50/50 and The Fault In Our Stars as discussed in this paper have real
backgrounds to their stories. These films truly influence the way viewers think about how they
live their own lives as proven by responses from focus groups that participants claimed they
thought about living their life more cautiously or living each day to the fullest or appreciating
their life. All films influence viewers lives to some degree but films about cancer make the
viewer think in depth about how they decide to live their lives.

Responses Packet
Questions Asked After Movie Clips
Set A.
1. Have you seen any of these films before?
2. If yes, are your thoughts on the film(s) the same? If no, what are your thoughts on the film(s) in
general from the clips shown?
3. What was the most interesting part about the clips you saw?
4. Did anything in particular stick out to you?
5. What will you remember from these clips?

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6. Do you think these movies try to send a specific message to its viewers?
7. If so, what message(s)?
Set B.
1.

What is your closest degree to cancer? (Write number)

0 (yourself)
1 (immediate family)
2 (extended family, grandparents, uncles, aunts)
3 (friends and cousins)
4 (friend of a friend)
4+
2.

How well do you think the clips relate to what you know about cancer?

3.

Is there anything in particular about how cancer was used in the film that you disagree with?

4. How do you think the fact that the main character(s) have cancer promoted the film?
5. In your opinion how do these clips differ from the other movies you have watched (relating
to and not relating to cancer)?
6. In what ways does the clips focus on living with cancer make you think about your own life?
Questions Asked After Interview Clips
Set C.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.

What are your first thoughts and/or reactions from these clips?
How do you think the movie clips relate to these interview clips?
What are some things that stuck out to you from these personal experiences with cancer?
What will you remember from these clips?
In what ways do you think you can relate to these clips?
Do you think these stories send a specific message(s)?
If so, what message(s)?
Interview Write- Up
Patricia Merchant
What is your relation to cancer?
I am a lung cancer survivor. Both my parents had cancer (lung and pancreatic), as well as my
brother (leukemia), who is also a cancer survivor.
How long did you have the disease? What stage was it?

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I was diagnosed in January of 2013; I have been in remission since September of 2013. From
what I hear, they never say you are cured, they say you are NED, which stands for No
Evidence of Disease. I have been NED since September of 2013 and I believe I will continue to
be NED. My cancer was Stage 3A non small cell lung cancer (adenocarcinoma).
What were your first thoughts after the diagnosis?
I was ashamed, because I was a smoker. That feeling continued until Dr. Huberman, my
oncologist, told me that I had the non-sympathetic cancer. He said that people who smoke
never get cancer, and people who never smoke get cancer. We dont get to pick what we get.
Did your daily life start to change? How so?
Yes, big time. After the diagnosis I had numerous tests and doctors appointments. Lucky for
me, my family and friends were so supportive. My daughter took charge of scheduling. I had to
have 30 radiation treatments and 12 chemo treatments. My family took turns driving me into my
treatments. They started in February of 2013 through March 2013. My granddaughter made me a
countdown calendar and every day when a treatment was done we threw away the day. When the
chemo was finished I had to wait six weeks for surgery. Truly, my whole familys daily lives
changed.
What was it like for you to leave your job?
When I told my employers, I basically told them that I understood if they had to hire someone
else to perform my duties while I was out. They said that I would always have a job with them,
and allowed me the flexibility to come in when I could. This meant weeks of not working at all,
and other weeks when I would only work for 2-4 hours per day. As much as I wanted to continue
with my daily routines, the effects of the treatments took their toll on my body and I simply
couldnt do what I always did.
What would you say was the worst moment of your experience with cancer?
The lowest point of my journey was when we went to go see my thoracic surgeon, Dr.
Gangadherin, and he gave us some scary news: we might not be able to continue with the plan to
have surgery. There was a spot on my hip that had appeared on a scan and they needed to
confirm that the cancer had not spread before moving ahead with the surgery. This was a setback
that I was not prepared for, and it required me to have another MRI and biopsy. In the end, I was
cleared for surgery and it was scheduled for May 16. During the surgery, my doctor performed a
lobectomy, meaning that he removed the upper lobe of my right lung (the part that contained the
cancer). It was major surgery, and I was in the hospital for six days.
Recovery from surgery was slow and difficult, but my progress climbed steadily upward. That
summer, I had two follow-up chemo treatments, one in June and the other in July. By September,
my daily life had mostly returned to normal.
Did your thinking about how you lived your life change?

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No. I have no regrets!

Did you decide to live your life in a different way from that point on?
No, I mostly live my life now as I did before. I did make a bucket list; however, of the seven
things on it I have only done one -- to do a 5K walk with my family, which we did on November
1, 2014. The significant changes I have made are that I no longer smoke, and I exercise regularly
-- I walk two miles or more every day!
Has your experience with the disease shaped your thoughts about how you live your life
today?
No.
What insights on life do you think you have gained from your experience with cancer?
I would not wish cancer on anyone, ever. It makes me especially sad when I hear about little
ones or young people going through it.
Is there anything else you would like to share about your experience?
If someone had to get it, Im glad it was me.

Bibliography
50/50. Dir. Jonathan Levine. By Will Reiser. Perf. Seth Rogen, Joseph Gordon-Levitt,
Anna Kendrick,. Summit Entertainment, 2011. DVD. Different from the other films I
have looked into this shines a positive, light hearted view on cancer. The story is about
a young man finding out he has a tumor and trying to mentally deal with that fact with
the help of his friends and family. I think too few movies about cancer patients really
shed this comedic feel which I found to be somewhat more relatable.

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"About | Bike For Cancer Care." Bike For Cancer Care. Benedict Health Foundation,
12 Sept. 2014. Web. 04 Mar. 2015. Graph on how many donation are given yearly to
the Rosemary foundation for cancer patient treatments.
Breaking Bad The Complete Series. Dir. Vince Gilligan. Perf. Bryan Cranston, Aaron
Paul, Anna Gunn. Sony Pictures Home Entertainment, 2014. TV Show. Famous TV
show based on a man who is diagnosed with lung cancer and starts a meth lab with a
former student of his. The whole show is filled with drama and action but also the
huge question of his morals. The show brings about the question if media is using
cancer in story lines to make it more interesting or to display the disease for its
truthfulness entirety.
The Bucket List. Dir. Rob Reiner. By Justin Zackham. Perf. Jack Nicholson, Morgan
Freeman, Sean Hayes. Warner Brothers, 2008. DVD. This film about two older men in
a hospital room together both living with cancer decide to make a bucket list and do
everything on it. The film addresses the idea of living life to the fullest, seizing the
day. This source will be useful to see if that is the idea viewers take with them and
how that relates to what influenced their thoughts about cancer.
"Cancer Treatment & Survivorship Facts & Figures." Cancer Treatment| Survivor
Facts & Figures| American Cancer Society. American Cancer Society, 1 Jan. 2014.
Web. 03 May 2015. Gives informations about how prevalent cancer is today in
American culture.
Chen, Xueyu, and Lillian Siu. "Journal of Clinical Oncology." Impact of the Media
and the Internet on Oncology: Survey of Cancer Patients and Oncologists in Canada.
Journal of Clinical Oncology, 20 July 2001. Web. 10 Mar. 2015. A study done in

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Canada to discover if cancer patients use the internet and media as a credible source of
information about their disease. Study found that many patients use the internet to seek
out more information on the disease rather than contacting their doctors, although
doctor - patient relationships are not affected by their information seeking.
Earl, Esther. "HELLO THERE." YouTube. YouTube, 2009. Web. 06 Mar. 2015. This is
the youtube channel of Esther Earl. The teenager who inspired John Green to write
The Fault in Our Stars. This video blog allows me to get to know more about Esther
even though I am unfortunately not able to reach out to her directly there are many
videos she posted about her journey and that John Green made about her.
Earl, Evangeline. "My Sister Esther Inspired 'The Fault in Our Stars.' The Movie Is
Her Sequel." Washington Post. The Washington Post, 12 June 2014. Web. 20 Mar.
2015. Esther Earl's Sister, Evangeline, speaks about her sister's journey and The Fault
in Our Stars. She speaks to the accuracy of the story to her sister's experiences with
cancer. In addition she talks about Green and Esther's relationship as friends.
EE, Kromm, Smith KC, and Singer RF. "Result Filters." National Center for
Biotechnology Information. U.S. National Library of Medicine, 1 Dec. 2007. Web. 06
Mar. 2015. A study based on how cancer survivors are displayed in print news. Is the
synopsis of the study, still working on actually finding the study.
"The Fault in Our Stars | Video Review | Plugged In." The Fault in Our Stars | Video
Review | Plugged In. Plugged In, n.d. Web. 03 May 2015. Reviews on the film The
Fault in Our Stars
The Fault in Our Stars. Dir. Josh Boone. Screenplay by Scott Neustadter and Michael
H. Weber. By John Green. Perf. Shailene Woodley, Ansel Elgort, Nat Wolff. Fox 2000

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Pictures, 2014. DVD. This movie is a largely known film that has been talked about all
throughout media. It displays two kids who have cancer and fall in love. This film is
widely known for its love story but not necessarily because they have cancer. Its
popularity makes it a great tool to use and try to get feedback from others on what they
have taken away from it.
"The Fault in Our Stars Review." Rotten Tomatoes. N.p., n.d. Web. Reviews on the
movie The Fault in Our Stars.
Gibson, Megan. "John Green's Response To "The Fault In Our Stars" Being Banned Is
Perfect." Time. Time, 29 Sept. 2014. Web. 03 Mar. 2015. Article explains the issue of a
middle school banning the book in their classroom and John Green's response to the
event. Gives insight on John Green's intentions with the book which is to be realistic
with the world; that people die and bad things happen.
Gross, Larry, and George Gerbner. "The Scary World of TV's Heavy Viewer."
Psychology Today Magazine (1976): n. pag. Web. 16 Mar. 2015. Studies the effect that
violent films can have on the viewers mind influencing them to make violent or rash
decisions. A decent example of the investigation that I am conducting but about violent
films instead.
Hinckley, David. "Average American Watches 5 Hours of TV per Day." NY Daily
News. New York Daily News, 5 Mar. 2014. Web. 03 May 2015. Gives statistics on
how much televised programming Americans watch on average per day.
Hurt, Suzanne. "RIVERSIDE: 'Fault in Our Stars' Banned from Middle Schools." The
Press Enterprise. N.p., 28 Sept. 2014. Web. John Green's response to middle school
district n California banning his novel 'The Fault in Our Stars.'

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LeBeau, Richard. "New Movie Portrays Cancer Perceptively but Psychology

Offensively." Psychology In Action. Psychology in Action, 24 Oct. 2011. Web. 17 Mar.
2015. An article written about the film 50/50 claiming that it mawks real cancer
patients and is too humorous for the topic at hand. The article takes a part each line in
the film.
Scott, Alan H. "Celluloid Chemotherapy: Top 12 Cancer Films." The Huffington Post.
TheHuffingtonPost.com, 17 Oct. 2012. Web. 17 Mar. 2015. The author of this article
decided to rate a few films about cancer on how accurate they are to their experience.
It is another interesting outlook on how these films may be affecting those who live
with cancer but not on how the public eye is perceiving these films which is my focus.
"So, Where Does the Money Go: Childhood Cancer Research Funding (2010) ((2014
Hasn't Changed Much))." - People Against Childhood Cancer. PAC2, 15 July 2010.
Web. 04 Mar. 2015. Graph on how much money is given to pediatric cancer based
foundations yearly from 2004 to 2008.
Stanton, David. "Average Netflix User Watches 5 TV Shows, 3 Movies Per Week via
the Service." Average Netflix User Watches 5 TV Shows, 3 Movies Per Week via the
Service. Business Wire, 6 Sept. 2012. Web. 03 May 2015. Gives statistics on how
much film Americans watch, on average per week.
A Walk to Remember. Dir. Adam Shankman. By Nicholas Sparks. Screenplay by Karen
Janszen. Perf. Mandy Moore, Shane West, Peter Coyote,. Warner Brothers, 2003.
DVD. With similarity to The Fault in Our Stars, this film displays cancer along with a
love story. It is a very well known film and I am planning on using it in my survey to
ask what people took away from the film.

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Workneh, Lilly. "Can Hollywood Take on Cancer? - CNN.com." CNN. Cable News
Network, 27 Oct. 2011. Web. 17 Mar. 2015. Article that talks about Hollywood's use
of cancer and if that depiction is relatable for real cancer patients. One cancer patient
is quoted in the article and says that Hollywood films are not like her experiences. It
shows a good comparison between one cancer patients story and the film 50/50.
Yaun, LorAnne. "How Movies Affect People's Lives." How Movies Affect People's
Lives. Academia.edu, n.d. Web. 16 Mar. 2015. Article about the media's affect on how
the public lives their lives. Does not speak specifically to films about cancer.
Interesting to hear her view on the topic even though there is not much substance or
studies within her paper about what she is speaking to.

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