A Lion in the House

WHYY Presents A Lion in the House - a film by Steven Bognar and Julia Reichert

A special documentary mini-series coming to the Emmy Award-winning PBS series Independent Lens on June 21 and 22, 2006

Lion in the House offers an unprecedented look at the cancer journeys of five young people and their families, whose stories unfold over a six-year period. Viewers come face to face with the uncertainty of the entire cancer journey and its rippling effects on family, community, and professional caregivers.

The WHYY Children's Service, which covers educational programs and services for parents, caregivers, educators and children from pre-K through 12th grade, has come up with an innovative outreach campaign to extend the impact of A Lion in the House in the Philadelphia region and throughout the nation with a grant from ITVS and additional funding from GlaxoSmithKline.

A community engagement event at the WHYY studios on May 10, 2006 featuring a screening of clips of A Lion in the House and a panel discussion that highlights survivorship of childhood cancer and heath care disparities with local and national experts and partner groups in advance of the television broadcast date. RSVP online or call (215) 351-1690.

Speakers include: Dr. Frankie Denise Powell, Drexel University; Ms. Debra Roberts, Executive Director, Philadelphia Ronald McDonald House; Sarah Mueller, a childhood cancer survivor; Dr Anna T. Meadows, Children's Hospital of Philadelphia; Dr. Anne Kazak; and Liz Scott, Alex's Lemonade Stand.

WHYY is also producing an hour-long radio documentary on the topic of children and cancer. This program will be offered nationally to public radio stations. Focusing on issues of survivorship and healthcare disparities, the show follows three families affected by childhood cancer. Producer and host Maiken Scott speaks with national experts in the field of pediatric oncology, and explores the challenges sick children, their parents and siblings face. Maiken currently produces Voices in the Family and You Bet your Garden, but is also a special programming producer at WHYY.

A strong team of area partners that includes but is not limited to The Philadelphia Ronald McDonald House, The Cancer Survivorship Team at The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, and Alex's Lemonade Stand.

For more information about the ITVS Community Engagement Campaign and the ITVS Community Engagement Campaign National Partners, please go to www.itvs.org/outreach/lioninthehouse.