Diagnosis Inspires Documentary

Date: October 6, 2014

Sharon Percy Rockefeller

When Sharon Percy Rockefeller, president and CEO of public radio and TV station WETA, was treated for colorectal cancer in 2005, she found more time to read. One book in particular resonated with her: the Pulitzer Prize-winning tome The Emperor of All Maladies: A Biography of Cancer by Siddhartha Mukherjee. So inspired was Rockefeller that she approached creative consultant Ken Burns about producing a documentary based on the book.

Rockefeller will speak during lunch at this year’s A Woman’s Journey about what it took to obtain the film rights and how the project has morphed into a powerful narrative that weaves three personal stories of people affected by cancer. She will also share reflections on her cancer experience and what the project has meant to her. Much of the documentary, called The Story of Cancer: The Emperor of All Maladies, has been filmed at the Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center. The movie will premiere on PBS in the spring of 2015 as a six-hour, three-part series.

—JFM

For more information on the film  and to view a short preview, visit emperorofallmaladies.org.