a very personal story
Dave was a good friend and a screenwriter, and we often talked about making films together. This was the first short documentary I made, early in this part of my career in 2015, when I was just starting to experiment with this kind of filmmaking.
Dave was diagnosed with bile duct cancer in June 2010, aged 44, and in July that year had a pancreaticoduodenectomy (Whipple procedure) to remove the tumour. He was married with three young children, two of whom were only eighteen months old at the time, and the diagnosis turned all their lives upside down. After three years, Dave was beginning to be seen as one of the lucky ones. Then, in December 2013, a second small but inoperable tumour was found. Intensive chemotherapy and radiotherapy during 2014 reduced it by a third, and by December that year it was considered stable.
Talking openly about cancer with his wife, children, friends and other patients meant that people could relax around him, without being afraid to touch on a difficult subject. It helped him feel more relaxed too, which mattered, as managing stress is an important part of treatment.
In 2019 the cancer came back. After years of living with it, and of being seen as one of the lucky ones, it was a hard blow for Dave, his family and everyone close to him. It was a really difficult time. Dave died in March 2020.
Looking back, I'm grateful we made this film together. It holds something of how he chose to live with his illness: openly, honestly, and with the people he loved around him.
With thanks to the Penny Brohn UK, Tinto Lounge, The Gloucester Old Spot and our friends and family.
Filmed over two weeks on location in Bristol and Clevedon on my Sony PXW-FS7. Direction, camera, sound, edit and grade by me.