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Crazy Sexy Cancer is a documentary film by actress and photographer Kris Carr. It premiered on March 11, 2007, at the South by Southwest (SXSW) Film Festival and aired on TLC on August 29, 2007. The film was edited by Pagan Harleman and Brian Fassett, with music composed by Matthew Puckett.[1]
The documentary follows Carr’s experience after being diagnosed with epithelioid hemangioendothelioma (EHE), a rare form of cancer.[2] Carr later wrote two books, Crazy Sexy Cancer Tips and Crazy Sexy Cancer Survivor, based on her personal experiences.[3]
Plot summary
Crazy Sexy Cancer is the personal video diary of Kris Carr. Carr's struggle with cancer begins after a visit to the doctor following a particularly difficult yoga class. Initially thinking it is a yoga-related injury, Carr is devastated to learn she has a rare form of cancer, epithelioid hemangioendothelioma (EHE). Despite its rarity, Carr is told that her tumors are not behaving aggressively, so her doctor advises that she "watch and wait" for two months before having more tests to determine whether the tumours are metastatic.[4] Despite the prognosis, Carr refuses to accept her sickness as the end of her life and sets out to explore alternative methods with which to treat her cancer. Her doctor recommends she start taking care of her body with diet and exercise, and Carr is determined to "take that crumb and turn it into a cake."[5] Her first stop out of the doctor's office is a shopping trip to an organic food supermarket.
Carr conducts her search for an oncologist similarly to a job interview.[4] One doctor suggests she undergo a triple organ transplant of her lungs and her liver. Carr does not select this option, because she views it as invasive and unnecessary.[4] She eventually finds Dr. George Demetri, director of the Center for Sarcoma and Bone Oncology at the Dana–Farber Cancer Institute in Boston, and establishes a doctor-patient relationship. In response to Dr. Demetri suggesting she boost her immune system by changing her diet and lifestyle, Carr adheres to a vegan diet. She enrolls in a healing program by Hippocrates Health Institute in West Palm Beach, Florida and immediately her refrigerator is filled with foods such as "leafy greens, vegetables, sprouted grains, nuts, seeds, and every kind of juice possible, including tons of wheatgrass."[6]
In addition to her new diet, Carr also pursues alternative medicine. She subjects herself to enemas as well as treats herself to massages and new-wave therapies such as infrared saunas.[6] She sees a chiropractor and an acupuncturist, all in pursuit of finding an alternative way to battle her illness. While it is yoga that initially brings Carr to her diagnosis, it also helps in her healing process. Carr approaches her cancer with a certain amount of spirituality. She visits a Zen Monastery and even develops her own "special space" where she spends at least 10 minutes every day praying, meditating, and giving thanks for her family, friends, and the life she lives.[6] As she describes in both her film and her books, Cancer is her guru. As Carr describes it, "Cancer creates pandemonium."[7] Instead of succumbing to the cancer, Carr says, you should use it for your spiritual growth, an idea that Carr adopted well into her healing journey.
In the movie, Carr emphasizes the importance of having a "cancer posse." In addition to documenting her personal illness narrative, Carr also interviews other young women who suffer from cancer and how they have chosen to live with it as though it were a blessing rather than a curse.
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