As Breast Cancer Awareness Month draws to a close, Local 4 wants to tell you about an exceptional opportunity to see a new film that shows the battle against this disease like never before.
It’s called “Hello beautiful,” A fictional drama inspired by the real-life story of model Christine Handy and her best-selling book “Walk beside me.”
We spoke with Handy on Monday (Oct. 27) about why she wanted to share her experience.
“At 41 as a high-profile model and mother, I was diagnosed with breast cancer, and it upended everything, as most people’s diagnosis does, and the books and the films that I’ve sought out about cancer I encountered, either sugar-coated the journey a lot, or ended in a funeral, which made me more fearful,” said Handy.
Christine Handy
As Handy fought through 28 rounds of chemotherapy and a double mastectomy, she vowed to share an honest depiction of her journey, not just for other patients.
"My intention is to show the medical side of what goes on outside of hospital walls. And we’ve had so much attention from the medical community, saying, ‘Gosh, we had no idea.’ This is what actually goes on in the family. This is what actually goes on that we don’t talk about, the emotional side, the emotional devastation," Handy said.
Christine Handy
It’s a critical message.
This diagnosis changes everyone inside and out. So it’s a, it’s nice to hear somebody who’s completely honest about what kind of transformation actually happens from start to finish.
Hearing stories like this can remind everybody that, ‘Yeah, this is a big diagnosis. This is a big deal.’ But I know there are people that have gone through this before me. I know there are ways that I can get through it.”
Henry Ford Health Breast Cancer Surgeon Dr. Theresa Schwartz
To that end, Handy called herself the “Hope facilitator.”
“You can focus on one thing. You can either focus on fear or focus on hope. You can’t focus on either. You have to pick one,” Handy said.
A screening of Hello Beautiful will take place on Wednesday (Oct. 29) at 5:30 p.m. at the Berman Center for the Performing Arts, 6600 W. Maple Road, West Bloomfield.
Tickers are $12.
The screening will be followed by a Q&A with Handy and Henry Ford Hospital breast cancer experts, and proceeds will go to “Game On Cancer.”