Film Trailer

Wednesday, February 20, 2008

Tribute to Mom

I have an acquaintance at my synagogue, Gary Karz, who I have known for the last seven years. He started attending to say memorial prayers (kaddish) at the same time I was saying kaddish for my wife Valerie. He was saying kaddish for his mother at the time. He's a very nice guy, gracious and smart with a dry sense of humor.

He recently became aware of Dying to Live from the promotional work we have been doing in preparation for the premiere on March 13. He sent me an email with his own story about his mother, which parallels a lot of the same experiences that I had with Valerie and my Mom. It is very well written and quite informative. We've been in close proximity for many years, but I never knew this story. It brings out a point that was made when I screened Dying to Live for the Men's Center of Los Angeles, that you only see a small part of the person standing in front of you.

Please take a moment to check out Tribute to Mom by Gary Karz and his family.

Tuesday, February 19, 2008

Affordable Healthcare

Last night I came face to face with one of the big challenges of our generation. It wasn’t theoretical - it was real. Uninsured families. A childhood friend who I have known since I was 3 years old, invited me to dinner so that I could see his Mom. She was visiting from back east for the first time since she lost her husband last spring. I’ve know them 55 years and it was a belated condolence call for me, which never gets any easier no matter how many people I’ve lost personally or who I have known to pass on.

Although I’d seen my friend recently, I hadn’t seen his Mom and it brought back terrific memories of good times we shared on Long Island with my parents. It reminded me of the music and laughs which flowed through our home.

At one point I made a comment about the very tasty sweet wine that was being served at this Friday night Shabbat meal. The conversation turned to my friend’s blood sugars, his elevated triglyceride levels and the fact that neither he, nor his wife or son, who was away at college, had health insurance. My friend is 55 and his Dad had diabetes. He’s never had a colonoscopy, does not get annual check-ups and does not have an interest to do anything for his own health. I could feel his mother sitting next to me, exhaling slowly, listening to a conversation that must be difficult to have with a son who is a Wharton school graduate and very smart. Too smart.

The conversation then turned to the huge expense it would take to cover the entire family for a man working two separate jobs as a high level accountant, sometimes getting only 3 hours of sleep a night. He was still having trouble making ends meet enough to send his son to college and wasn’t able to afford health insurance for his family.

I had no response. I was speechless. This is reality. Not mine but the reality of the real world. I just told him that he had to get a physical. That so many diseases, when diagnosed early, were very treatable. He is in that age group, over 50 when you just need to be more proactive. There must be a way to get an internist for a reasonable cost to do a complete physical and check any problem areas.

There was a whole conversation about how he used to get a physical from the life insurance companies but how that has changed now that he has life but no medical. It was upsetting for me. I thought that maybe I should help him find a way to pay for it. What about everyone else that is sitting at home waiting for a time bomb to go off and not prepared to go anywhere to take care of it?

I said something about it seeming reasonable to set up a physical for about $250-$300 and he asked if the colonoscopy would be thrown in with that. I could not understand how such a smart guy could be so ignorant about a procedure that could save a life if administered in time. Yes there is another argument about many of these preventative procedures being over prescribed but I believe it’s commonly accepted that when you reach 50 you have one. What about checking your prostate once a year? It’s simple and can prevent a bunch of anguish down the line.

How do you educate a population of educated people, much less uneducated people, about their best interests regarding health? Because if you don’t have your health, you don’t have anything. If you wait too long, you may not be able to do anything about it. We need universal healthcare that’s affordable, accessible and of good quality. This is a social priority.

Monday, February 11, 2008

Thoughts beginning to come forth...

Last week I was asked to participate on a panel seeking to set out a bi-partisan platform on healthcare reform for whoever the eventual candidates are for the presidency. It was sponsored by the Creative Coalition and The Partnership to Fight Chronic Disease. The panel was moderated by former U.S. Surgeon General Richard Carmona (2002-2006) and included several healthcare experts who focused on the fact that chronic disease is the leading cause of death and disability in the U.S. and accounts for the vast majority of healthcare spending. I was there to put a personal face on chronic illness.

It was the first time that I’d told the story of Dying to Live - the journey into a man’s open heart to such a large audience. It was also an audience of theatre, film and TV people including a number of celebrities. The response was strong and I’m beginning to realize that many of the thoughts I’ve had about the resonance of the issues of the film are beginning to come forth. I’m not that different than any of the folks in that audience or many others regarding the medical and personal challenges I’ve encountered. I just happened to have a camera turned on while the events of my life played out. But in one regard I am different than a number of other audiences that may see the film. I had the resources to confront many of the challenges with insurance and I had the time and means to provide caregiving to my loved ones when it was most needed. This theme is becoming consistent in all the conversations I am having after screening and discussing the film.

I’m beginning to get into the loop of people who want to make changes in society in a variety of ways. Some of it gets a bit heady to be in the company of people whose work I’ve appreciated for along time. The case in point was an invitation to attend the AARP Magazine “Movies for Grownups” awards. As you know AARP caters to the above 50 demographic in the US and has an active involvement in supporting quality entertainment for this part of the population. I found interest in the film that evening and am hoping that AARP may review the film or do an article on it as the film is really for baby Boomers and Seniors who are one of the most underserved audiences. I’ve been surprised with how seniors respond to screenings of the film, relating so strongly with my mom & aunt going on to tell me “ we have kids your age that we didn’t realize were facing such challenges in their lives”.

Two reviews of the film came out recently. Since I started my career as an actor 35 years ago there was always the apprehension and excitement surrounding the reviews of the work. A lot has been written about critics and the perspectives on things. You know if you believe the good ones you should be believe the bad ones too. I’m glad the film is having the opportunity to find its audience.

Here’s where you can read the reviews:
http://growthhouse.typepad.com/les_morgan/

http://menscenterlosangeles.blogspot.com/2008/02/review-and-invitation-to-dying-to-live.html

Monday, February 4, 2008

A Blogger reviews Dying to Live

Les Morgan of Growth House has written a review which can be seen at: Dying to Live Review

Also, take a look at this article about the Creative Coalition event where I was a panelist.