Living With Fibromyalgia

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Living With Fibromyalgia: A Journey of Hope and Understanding
Directed by Stephen Eyer
Produced by Daneen Akers,
Stephen Eyer
Written by Daneen Akers,
Stephen Eyer
Distributed by Trillusion Media
Release date(s) March 22, 2007
Running time 71 mins
Language English
Budget N/A

Living With Fibromyalgia: A Journey of Hope and Understanding is a 2007 documentary film by Stephen Eyer and Daneen Akers from Trillusion Media, Inc. that explores the chronic pain condition known as fibromyalgia.

The film was created as a resource for fibromyalgia patients and their families and to help create awareness about this condition. It tells the stories of seven patients suffering from fibromyalgia including Darlene Akers, the mother of one of the filmmakers, and Lynne Matallana, the president of the National Fibromyalgia Association and the author of The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Fibromyalgia. The documentary premiered in San Diego on March 22, 2007 at the Hillcrest Landmark Theatre and has garnered wide praise within the fibromyalgia community for its empathetic approach and hopeful message.

Contents

[edit] Synopsis

Living With Fibromyalgia tells the story of seven fibromyalgia patients: Darlene Akers, the mother of one of the filmmakers; Lynne Matallana, the co-founder and president of the National Fibromyalgia Association; Randy Wold, a former mechanic and drag racer who shares his perspective on being a man with a condition usually associated with women; Frances Jenkins, a model and actress; Lauren Armistead, a former competitive athlete, Linda Farwell, an avid bicyclist and (since the film was released) one of the faces of the 2007 Pfizer Lyrica campaign; and Liana Gefter, a medical student at Stanford University. The patients share how they were diagnosed, how fibromyalgia has changed their lives, how they deal with fibromyalgia, and their advice for other patients and family members of patients.

Interwoven with the patient stories are experts from the Fibromyalgia Rehabilitation Program at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, California. The filmmakers talk to Judy Fishman, an occupational therapist, Dr. Michael Gilewski, a psychologist, Miriam Siegal, a physical therapist, and extensively to Dr. Stuart Silverman, a rheumatologist and long-time fibromyalgia researcher.

While patients do share how they personally have dealt with the pain, fatigue, and related symptoms of fibromyalgia, no specific medications are endorsed, rather a broad approach tailored for individual patients combining a mixture of traditional and alternative practices is advocated. The film’s overall message is that fibromyalgia is a real, extremely difficult and often debilitating condition, but there is still hope for a fulfilling and even healthy life after a diagnosis.

The filmmakers have stated that Living With Fibromyalgia is the film they wished their family could have sat down to watch together when they first heard the word "fibromyalgia."

[edit] Funding

Funding for the film was provided by...[citation needed]

[edit] Reception and Legacy

The documentary was the centerpiece of the National Fibromyalgia Association’s 2007 Fibromyalgia Awareness Day campaign, screening at over 125 locations nationwide over the May 12 weekend.

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