Four years ago I was diagnosed with Leukemia. When I started on this new road, I had no idea where I would be taken. The only thing I set my mind on was surviving a story that I would hopefully one day be able to tell.
When I made Paused: A Cancer Documentary, I wanted to show people every aspect of how this diagnosis changes someone’s life. When I was about to graduate, I was given the opportunity to premiere Paused at my college. It was an emotional and exciting experience having so many attend to listen to my story. I was overwhelmed with love and support. After the premiere, I was asked, “will there be a Paused 2?”
I had no idea what I would create after spending the most difficult part of this journey making the first documentary. I was honored as the Student Speaker at my graduation ceremony, and as I spoke to my whole school, my friends, and my family, I realized I had only told the beginning and the middle of this story, with words of hope, perseverance, and the sight of something bright on the horizon.
Unpaused: A Cancer Survivor Story is the closing statement to my journey with Leukemia. This short documentary reflects on some of my most pivotal, difficult, and proudest moments over the past 4 years, including my final treatments and many of the bright beautiful things during and beyond this chapter of my life.
Unpaused is here to show you that wherever you are in this journey, that life may feel paused, but there is so much being woven that we don’t always understand until later. I won’t pretend that I know everything about this disease, but Unpaused is here to show what the light at the end of this journey can look like, and all the wonderful things that make this fight worth enduring. And simply, Unpaused is for me.
One year ago, I entered the hospital the same way I did four years ago, but this time I would be leaving very differently. Looking back, knowing now where every moment brought me, every lesson I learned, every connection I made, every pain I felt, and every step I took, I realize that my life was just bringing me to where I needed to be. Today I am beyond happy, privileged, and proud to say…
I am a Cancer Survivor.