In April: Local and National Community Conversations about Cancer

*PLEASE NOTE CHANGE
IN EVENT DATE AND LOCATION*

Rhode Island PBS, in partnership with the American Cancer Society, presents LUNG CANCER | a community conversation, a live panel discussion televised on Thursday, April 23* at 8 p.m. at the Rhode Island PBS studios*, 50 Park Lane, Providence, RI. 

The television program will start with screening selected segments from the Ken Burns film Cancer: The Emperor of All Maladies. Local experts then take a deeper look and connect this world issue to our local community in a panel discussion that includes tobacco use, smoking cessation, lung cancer, and the rising costs of health care. We'll also take questions from the audience.

You are invited to be in the studio audience from 7 p.m. - 9 p.m. Arrive at 7 p.m. for light refreshments and light conversation with our panelists and show host, Margie O'Brien. At 7:30, we move into the studio to prepare for live broadcast from 8 p.m. - 9 p.m.

This event is free and open to the public, but audience seating in the studio is limited. Advance registration is required. 

The television special LUNG CANCER | a community conversation is part of  

SCREENINGS | community conversations about cancer

an initiative of Rhode Island PBS, American Cancer Society, made possible by CVS Health.

Watch the full Ken Burns film Cancer: The Emperor of All Maladies on three consecutive Thursdays at 9 p.m. on April 9, 16 and 23. 

Extending the conversation, Rhode Island PBS presents additional programs about cancer and living with dignity in the face of terminal illness from 8 to 9 p.m. on April 16 and 30. This is the full schedulee of cancer program in April:

April 9

9 p.m. – Ken Burns Film Cancer: The Emperor of All Maladies, Part 1

Magic Bullets - The story of cancer and the efforts to find a cure begins with the work of cancer researcher Sidney Farber (1903-73), who, in the late 1940s, introduced the modern era of chemotherapy. Also: the contemporary story of a 14-month-old girl battling T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia.

April 16

8 p.m. – What Love Is– The Duke Pathfinders 50

Fifty women from North Carolina with incurable breast cancer heroically endure an experimental medical protocol to prove that there is a better way of life -- and death -- for cancer patients and their families everywhere. Read more about the film here.

9 p.m. – Ken Burns Film Cancer: The Emperor of All Maladies, Part 2

The Blind Men and the Elephant - The launch of the "war on cancer" by President Nixon in 1971 is recalled. While rapid strides were made in understanding cancer, the research produced few advancements in treatment until the late 1990s. Also: the contemporary story of surgical oncologist Lori Wilson, who was diagnosed with invasive breast cancer in both breasts in 2013.

April 23

8 p.m. – LUNG CANCER | a community conversation

This Rhode Island PBS live broadcast features a local panel discussion focused on issues raised in the Ken Burns film Cancer: The Emperor of All Maladies, taped with a live studio audience. 

9 p.m. – Ken Burns Film Cancer: The Emperor of All Maladies, Part 3

Finding the Achilles Heel - Optimism that the mystery of the malignant cell has been solved fades due to the layers of complexity and defenses of cancer, leading many to focus on prevention and early detection. However, by the 2010s, new avenues of attack are uncovered, including the possibility of harnessing the human immune system in the battle. Also: two pioneers of immunotherapy treatments, a 60-year-old melanoma patient and a 6-year-old leukemia patient, share their stories.

April 30
8 p.m. – Behind the Ribbon
“Our Heroes” looks at the role of physical appearance in breast cancer treatment and survivorship. Footage from the 2012 Survivor Fashion Show is featured. Behind the Ribbon is the title of an original nonfiction television series produced by the Gloria Gemma Breast Cancer Resource Foundation and Jai Consulting Group. These short documentaries feature the stories of patients, survivors, and those who have lost their lives to breast cancer - an illness that will affect one in six Rhode Island women.
8:30 p.m. – Living With Dignity
This Rhode Island PBS production explores the local perspective of strength and determination to find balance and happiness while facing a terminal illness.
9 p.m. – Cancer: A Conversation
A companion program to the three-part documentary Cancer: The Emperor of All Maladies, Katie Couric, co-founder of “Stand Up To Cancer,” extends the conversation when she interviews Ken Burns; Sharon Percy Rockefeller, President and CEO of WETA and a cancer survivor; and Dr. Siddhartha Mukherjee, Pulitzer Prize-winning author of the book upon which the film is based.

Updated: April 4, 2015
Updated April 7, 2015

Gloria Gemma Foundation Hope Bus Subject of New Documentary

“For the first time in 17 years, you have allowed me to let my breast cancer go. I can now move on with my life,” a breast cancer survivor told the Gloria Gemma Breast Cancer Resource Foundation’s Maureen DiPiero aboard the Hope Bus.

“And even still, it touches me and that was three years ago,” DiPiero tearfully said of the encounter. “The thought that this bus can have that impact on someone, just takes my breath away.”

Since 2011, the Pawtucket-based nonprofit has used the Hope Bus—a pink 38-foot recreational vehicle—to directly reach thousands of people in all 39 towns and cities of Rhode Island. Free breast health education, awareness, and support programs are offered to the community aboard the Hope Bus, which is a comforting environment where individuals have shared their personal stories and experiences with breast cancer.

Now, the Hope Bus will make its way to Rhode Islanders in their homes when the third installment of Behind the Ribbon, the Gloria Gemma Breast Cancer Resource Foundation’s documentary series, airs Sunday, December 29 at 6PM on Rhode Island PBS.

In "The Hope Bus" episode, viewers are taken behind-the-scenes and offered access to intimate stories of triumph and perseverance from breast cancer survivors, and learn the approach behind the Hope Bus and how it has become what it istoday. Additionally, viewers join staff and volunteers on the Hope Bus as it travels to locations including South County Hospital in East Greenwich, CVS|Caremark in Woonsocket, Women and Infants Hospital in Providence, and Lincoln High School.

"The Hope Bus" will re-air on Saturday, January 4 at 11PM on Rhode Island PBS. Behind the Ribbon premiered on Rhode Island PBS in March. The first two installments, "Young Survivors" and "Beauty and the Beast," can be viewed at youtube.com/GloriaGemmaVideos.

Rhode Island Stories for March 2013

Gazela
On Rhode Island PBS: March 23 at 7 p.m., March 24 at 11 p.m.
On Learn: March 27 at 10 p.m., March 28 at 5 a.m., March 29 at 2 a.m.

On May 10, 2012, Rhode Island Governor Lincoln Chafee signed legislation designating the soon-to-be-commissioned 196 foot, square-rigged tall ship SSV Oliver Hazard Perry as the state's official "Sailing Education Vessel."

During the summer of 2012, six educators representing Rhode Island's secondary and higher education institutions were selected to develop educational initiatives and programs for the Oliver Hazard Perry.  As part of their training and preparation, these educators joined the crew of the tall ship Gazela, for her 5-day July 2012 voyage from Philadelphia to Newport.  Among them was Dr. Kathy Vespia, chair of the Department of Education at Salve Regina University in Newport, RI.

Gazela is a chronicle of the lessons that Dr. Vespia learned during the voyage. From seamanship and teambuilding to the physical rigors of daily life at sea and self-evaluation, Dr. Vespia's experiences on board the ship left her with a different understanding of what it means to join a crew, how one must rise to the challenge when the educator becomes the learner, and how the "needs of the ship" directly relate to the classroom experience.

Telling Stories
On Rhode Island PBS: March 23 at 7:30 p.m., March 24 at 11:30 p.m.
On Learn: March 27 at 10:30 p.m., March 28 at 5:30 a.m., March 29 at 2:30 a.m.

Telling Stories is a documentary about unearthing history in Rhode Island. The video chronicles an archaeological dig at a John Brown family farm. By questioning and examining the archaeological process, the film discusses the painstaking re-creation of history - one fragment at a time - including the heritage of slavery in New England,and the politics of the historical narrative.

Behind the Ribbon
On Rhode Island PBS: March 30 at 7 p.m., March 31 at 11 p.m.
On Learn: April 3 at 10 p.m., April 4 at 5 a.m., April 5 29 at 2 a.m.

Behind the Ribbon is the title of an original nonfiction television series produced by the Gloria Gemma Breast Cancer Resource Foundation and Jai Consulting Group. These short documentaries will feature the stories of patients, survivors and those who have lost their lives to breast cancer, an illness that will affect one in six Rhode Island women during her lifetime.

In this first chapter, "Young Survivors" will feature Mandy Zito, the Foundation's new Young Survivor Program coordinator, and some of the women she has gotten to know since joining the Foundation in September 2012.

A Time to Heal
On Rhode Island PBS: March 30 at 7:30 p.m., March 31 at 11:30 p.m.
On Learn: April 3 at 10:30 p.m., April 4 at 5:30 a.m., April 5 at 2:30 a.m.

Refugee Health Week was developed by Dr. Adam Pallant and Dr. Carol Lews of Hasbro Children's Hospital to offer medical residents time for conversations with refugees about their healthcare needs, their past and current struggles, and the importance of their stories as they acclimate to life in the United States.

For pediatric residents, time with patients and time for reflection is a rarity. Refugee Health Week allowed these doctors time and opportunity to reaffirm relation-based care as a foundation for healing...not just for refugees but for all their patients.