As a mesothelioma patient, do you still have a lot you want to say to your loved ones? Are there experiences and memories you want to share to help keep your memory and relationships alive?
Maybe you could consider making a legacy video as one way that as a mesothelioma patient, you can preserve your thoughts and wishes for your family now and in the future.
A video will let your children and grandchildren hear your voice, see your smile and your gestures. It will help them get a sense of your presence in a way that a still photograph can’t express.
Such videos convey “a very personal touch, going beyond the stiff words you might have in your will,” says Sally Hurme, a project adviser at AARP and author of Checklist for Family Survivors.
Although any kid with a smart phone can help you make a video, nonprofits have formed to provide free help to people such as mesothelioma patients and breast cancer patients achieve more professional results. The Associated Press recently reported on one called Thru My Eyes.
The mission of Thru My Eyes is to give individuals facing a life-threatening illness the ability to create a legacy video with the help of a trained mental health professional in the privacy of their own home at no cost. Started by a breast cancer patient, it is a nonprofit organization dedicated to helping patients create free, clinically guided viodegraphic legacies for their loved ones.
Patients who would like to make a video are given an interviewer , one of the group’ s volunteer health care professionals who helps guide the subjects in talking about their lives.
The videos run between an hour and 90 minutes and can include photos, documents, music and interaction with the family. The organization, which is funded by grants, donations, and fundraisers, works with a number of hospitals and organizations, and is listed as a resource for the American Cancer Society.
Although based in the New York suburb, Thru My Eyes states on their website that they also offer an online option that can be done from anywhere in the world. Bilingual services can be provided.
“Currently, we are operating nationwide,” they state. For more information call 914-725-1836 or email info@thrumyeyes.org
Or if you prefer you can ask a friend or family member to be your personal videographer or search online for a local videography professional.