LOVE MEANS GOING THE EXTRA MILE
CAFETERIA ATTENDS THE DOCUMENTARY PREMIERE OF A GOOD RUN: FINDING PEACE WITH PARKINSON’S
Image courtesy of Juliana Camizzi
How do you measure a labour of love? Is it in the hours we spend together or the cups of coffee poured and kindly offered?
Can you measure love in miles?
When Parkinson’s Disease began to rob Kathleen Camp of her mobility and cognitive function, her daughter Etana Solomon decided to put her body to use and run the New York City marathon in her mother’s honor. A Good Run: Finding Peace with Parkinson’s chronicles Etana and Kathleen’s journey, navigating Kathleen’s diagnosis and Etana’s new role as her mother’s caregiver.
While Etana’s running trails in the background of the documentary, the film explores Kathleen’s life prior to her diagnosis, illustrating how the progressively debilitating disease interrupted her path. Home videos from Kathleen’s childhood in the 1950s and '60s juxtapose images from Etana’s younger years, encapsulating and informing the tender bond they share. Although Kathleen later revealed that she would never run a marathon under any circumstances in the post-film panel, she spent her childhood “outrunning a life that tried to break her.”
Despite the wholesome, twinkling grain of VCR footage, Kathleen’s upbringing was tumultuous and she was determined to run away. Once the former special education teacher became a mother herself, Kathleen took a different approach than her parents, giving her children the freedom to forge their own paths. “She didn’t just raise me. She built our world from nothing,” Etana shares. “A Good Run feels like an act of love. Making the film allowed me to honor my mom and preserve her legacy. It’s a way of saying we were here,” Etana continues. The intimate glimpses into “the good years” precedes the inevitable role reversal when a child must take care of their aging parent. Although the transition from child to caregiver isn’t expected until much later in life, it is still unavoidable and still painful. “I used to be in charge,” Kathleen attests.
Much like Kathleen cared for Etana in the womb and beyond, helping her child find her footing in the world, Etana now cares for her mother and advocates for her needs in the face of an often cruel healthcare system. Becoming her mother’s full time caregiver at the age of 25 not only means that Etana manages life’s daily struggles, but gives her mother a voice when Parkinson’s tries to silence her.
Shifting from mother-daughter vacations in the Bahamas to tearful conversations in hospitals, the 30 minute movie eloquently captures the essence of love - patient and long-suffering. Through Director of Photography Ike Abakah’s masterful composition and Josh Jenkins’ heartfelt creative direction, Etana and Kathleen’s love is palpable and bright - like warm sunlight shining through the cracks, filling in the gaps Parkinson’s has created.
As the documentary premiere neared its close, Kathleen left the audience with simple yet wise instructions – “If you want to do something, just do it. Don’t wait. Just love each other. Love is all there is.” As Parkinson’s creates obstacle after obstacle, Kathleen and Etana continue to choose each other day after day. A Good Run is a visceral and touching reminder of the fragility of life and the power of love.
A Good Run: Finding Peace with Parkinson’s premiered on Saturday, December 13 at Hopkins School and was followed by a Q&A panel hosted by Cole Brown of Questlove’s and Black Thought’s Two One Five productions. A Good Run will be available to view on YouTube soon.