Errol Morris' film "Stand Up to Cancer"

(UPDATE: Watch this higher quality version) Here's an excerpt from Errol Morris' emotional film about cancer survivors and relatives of people who died from cancer. Morris is a master at getting people to utter profound, unexpected things and present them in a powerful way. Stand Up to Cancer

[Burns! #1 17:10 on Tue, Sep. 9]

Wow. Heartbreaking. Heartwarming. Errol Morris is a genius.

[dbarak #2 17:28 on Tue, Sep. 9]

Stepfather, brain and lung cancer, passed away September 24, 2004.

Mother-in-law, two bouts with breast cancer and still living.

Me, minor (thankfully!) squamous cell skin cancer, removed during biopsy.

[dixeyk #3 17:39 on Tue, Sep. 9]

December 31st I found out I had invasive bladder cancer (Happy New Year). September 5th 2002 I found out I was cancer free. All I want to do right now is hold my wife and 5 year old son.

[Duffong #4 17:48 on Tue, Sep. 9]

I'm not sure how I feel about this video just yet. It's heartwarming and emotional... but... somehow I'm left still feeling empty. I know that sounds cruel right now, it's because I'm scared. I guess I'll know how I feel on Friday whether I have Hodgkin's Lymphoma or just the scariest f'n lymph node cysts I've ever seen.

[dbarak #5 17:56 on Tue, Sep. 9]

#4>> "...I guess I'll know how I feel on Friday whether I have Hodgkin's Lymphoma..."

Ten days before I got married, I was told I MAY have lymphoma. The next day I had exploratory surgery and was told it was sarcoidosis, which is sometimes mistaken for lymphoma. I removed the surgical tape on my wedding day, after the ceremony.

Hang in there. :)

[Jonathan Golub #6 17:57 on Tue, Sep. 9]

Wow, that was heart-rending. Errol Morris is awesome - and in the spirit of BoingBoing, he actually invented a device that he uses to capture the interviews for his movies. Both interviewer and interviewee face a camera, and their face is projected onto the lens of the other's camera so it's like they are looking directly at each other and into the camera at the same time. And wait 'til you hear the name: it's called The Interrotron.

[ravenword #7 18:16 on Tue, Sep. 9]

My father, lung cancer that spread to his brain, July 1, 2002. I was 17. He was a single dad. I left for college soon after; my younger brother was raised by grandparents.

[Steven #8 19:04 on Tue, Sep. 9]

i'm sorry, but what exactly are we looking at, here? the link is just a donation page with no reference to any film, by errol morris or otherwise.

because i found this clip deeply irritating, and if there's a whole feature-length of rapid-cut soundbytes divorced from any meaningful context, i don't want any of it. if it's just a poorly-edited promo, so be it.

and, though i don't really feel i should have to legitimate my response, this seems to be a sharing thread, so here goes: my mother/died february 4 2006/complications from pancreatic cancer/age 56.

[twotonkatrucks #9 19:18 on Tue, Sep. 9]

errol morris is my current obsession.

anyone read his blog over at NYT?

http://morris.blogs.nytimes.com/

[Antinous / Moderator #10 19:20 on Tue, Sep. 9]

Wow, Steven, you are really angry.

[Tamu #11 19:30 on Tue, Sep. 9]

Thanks, BoingBoing. You, too, have stood up to cancer.

In the US, over 80 percent of patients of European descent will find an unrelated stem cell donor, used to treat conditions like leukemia and lymphoma. 60 percent of patients of African descent will find a match.

In Canada, if you are not European, the chance of a match falls between 10-30% matching.

Thank you for writing about registering as a bone marrow donor 3 times this year!! I've been reading BB since it was a print magazine and have never seen such a thing before.

If my brother's transplant next week is a success maybe he will participate in a video like this next year encouraging others to fight and be survivors.

[Jake0748 #12 19:40 on Tue, Sep. 9]

Antinous, yeah he's angry. He has a right.

[Jake0748 #13 20:10 on Tue, Sep. 9]

Ok, did it. I'd say cranky, crabby and negative. I stand corrected.

[Antinous / Moderator replied to comment from Jake0748 #14 20:12 on Tue, Sep. 9]

Jake,

Read his comment history.

[Jake0748 #15 20:15 on Tue, Sep. 9]

Wow, another time warp. My comment #13 was in response to Antinous' comment #14. How the heck does that happen?

[Antinous / Moderator replied to comment from Jake0748 #16 20:49 on Tue, Sep. 9]

Jake,

It's just a jump to the left.

[Talia #17 06:00 on Wed, Sep.10]

*bursts into tears*

[Talia #18 06:03 on Wed, Sep.10]

heheh, i'm vaguely curious if Steven would have bad things to say if this was a post about rainbows, bunnies, puppies and unicorns.

[Subvertia #19 06:44 on Wed, Sep.10]

Thank you for posting this. I think it's a short, sweet way for people to communicate to each other that they, too, have been affected by this horrible disease.
I lost my Aunt last week to ovarian. The next day, her husband had to go in for yet another round of chemo...
And yesterday, we found out our 13 y/o Rottie has
cancer as well.
I too will pass this along. Thank you.

[cherie62 #20 07:47 on Wed, Sep.10]

"Age is a privilege now." That really hit home. I was diagnosed with breast cancer March 16, 2007. Surgery, chemo, radiation. Yesterday was my birthday. Each day is a gift. But here's the secret: for EVERYBODY, each day is a gift. Never forget that!

[error404 #21 08:34 on Wed, Sep.10]

My Aunt, bowel cancer.

She and my mother were identical twins, so I got to see what it'd be like to watch my mother die slowly, as well as lose my Aunt.

Very difficult time.

Horrible disease, am now off to see where I can do bone marrow donation where I live.