Filmmaker Statement

Hospitals were a strange but defining backdrop to my early life. My mom started undergoing every cancer treatment imaginable when I was two, so for years, Northwest Community Hospital was my stomping ground. Because I couldn’t grasp the heaviness, I thought I was living the high life—nonstop sleepovers with my mom fueled by vending machine snacks and collecting gift shop stuffed animals like trophies. The endless parade of nurses showering me with attention and care made me feel like the floor celebrity. But eventually the treatments stopped working and my mom, Laura, passed away at thirty-one. At six, I was left to navigate a world that suddenly felt far less nurturing. Losing a parent as a child rewires your entire understanding of the world, often in ways you don’t even realize until much later. I tried to fill the void in me with achievements and striving to be the best at everything, but ultimately it was always to receive special care and attention in return. That deep longing