Young Stroke Survivor Documentary Ft. Nikki Phelix
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I'm Samantha Johnson - a documentary filmmaker and television producer. I've produced, shot, and edited award-winning documentary films that have been at film festivals such as Sundance, Tribeca, Hot Docs, and LA Shorts Fest and produced television programming for networks like CBS, MTV, and PBS. I worked on the CLIO Award winning "Selfie" for Dove's #BeautyIs campaign, the Oscar® Qualifying documentary "The Gnomist" that was picked up by CNN Films, and CBS's newest true crime series, "Pink Collar Crimes" - to name a few of my past projects.
I'm creating a documentary to tell the compelling story of my amazing friend Nikki Phelix who suddenly and shockingly suffered a life-altering stroke at 26 years old. Her story is one of strength, determination, and hope in overcoming the harsh realities of being a young stroke survivor. Her story is powerful and it needs to be told.
Young stroke survivors are not alone and because they are a largely unknown or unthought of community, every bit of awareness and education helps.
It is important to recognize the emotional and mental aspects of recovery in addition to the physical recovery that can take months or years to achieve after a debilitating stroke.
When you're young, you think you're invincible. You think all your friends around you are too. You never think that at 26, when starting a new chapter in her career, your friend will have a stroke. A stroke that will change her life forever.
How could this have happened!? She's so young. So healthy. So full of life.
This friend of mine is Nikki. We're both from the same small town in Rochester, NY and a part of the same inseparable group of friends. She's the girl that's always smiling, always being playful, and always warming people's hearts with her contagious laugh. When we all heard the news of her stroke, it rocked every single one of us. We couldn't grasp the idea.
I thought strokes happened to older people? Our grandparents. The doctors still don't know the cause? That's terrifying.
NIKKI'S STORY IN HER OWN WORDS:
At 26 years old, my world changed when I suffered a stroke due to a Vertebral Artery Dissection. The cause of the dissection remains unknown and I quickly learned I was not alone in being a young stroke survivor. I lost functioning of the left side of my body but clung to the hope my doctors gave me when they told me there was a chance for a full recovery.
Since taking my "first steps" for the second time in my life, I've regained physical strength back and now focus on trying to adjust to my 'new normal' every day.
At 26 years old, I was not expecting to encounter stroke. My family and friends were in disbelief, as well. The medical professionals working with me were well trained, but they appeared just as shocked as we were. The individuals dictating the various aspects of my recovery knew the impact of stroke on elder patients and their lives, but my situation seemed a bit foreign to them. Information on the internet is even scarce; my caregivers and family members found it difficult to help without such knowledge. We were all relying on someone else to know something more than we did, which is a scary thing when you are dealing with significant impairments to your physical body and life circumstances.
Support groups for young stroke survivors are hard to come by. I’ve chosen to be part of a support group which is available for survivors of all ages. While I am extremely grateful for the sense of community and belonging it provides, can we really expect a 75-year-old survivor to grasp the impact of stroke on employment, family planning, financial dependency, etc. for someone under the age of 30? Just as I cannot truly understand the impact of stroke on someone in a later life stage, I cannot expect someone else to understand the impact on survivors in the life stage of which I currently belong.
With this film, I hope people will see the impact that a stroke has on survivors of all ages as well as the depth of the invisible aspects of recovering from a life-altering stroke.
USE OF FUNDS
Because of my years of experience shooting, editing, producing, running sound, and managing all admin duties of award-winning documentary films and broadcast and cable network television programs, I'm luckily able to be a one-woman swiss-army knife film crew in telling this story.
However, there are several expenses with which I still need help to make this film a reality:
- Professional Production Gear Rental (Camera, lenses, lights, etc.)
- Airfare travel to and from Nikki's current residence in North Carolina
- Subscriptions/Licenses for Professional Music and Editing Software
- Fees for Film Festival Submissions
- Creation of Professional Digital Masters of the film
- Hard Drives for Project/File Storage
UPCOMING SHOOTS
Because Nikki will be in town in Rochester over the Christmas holiday, my hope is to film with her, her boyfriend, and her family as much as possible.
In order to do so, I'm hoping to raise enough funds by then to cover the first round of principal photography.
DISTRIBUTION PLAN
Because of my experience with the film festival circuit, my goal is to have the film screen at festivals first before seeking distribution if possible. In the past, projects I've worked on have been picked up by CNN Films, PBS, Al Jazeera America, MTV, and more. They've also gone on to win several festival awards, a CLIO Image Award, a Vimeo Staff Pick, and qualify for Oscar® consideration.
Furthermore, the film will be a powerful and emotional tool in helping others understand how to tackle life after a stroke and Nikki will be able to use it in collaboration with her work as a young stroke-survivor advocate and speaker with groups such as Mental Health In Motion.
THANK YOU!
This project is near and dear to me and one that will touch the hearts of so many people - whether or not they've been personally affected by stroke or a family illness. EVERYONE can learn from and relate to a story of overcoming the odds and finding empowerment within yourself. It truly takes a village to lift someone back up again and seeing the heart that Nikki has and the strength she gets from her family (who have stopped their lives to support her) is unbelievably heartwarming and inspiring.
Every little donation helps and I so appreciate it!
VENMO REQUESTS
I've received some requests from individuals preferring to donate via Venmo.
If you would prefer to donate that way, please make sure to include STROKE DOCUMENTARY DONATION in your message and donate to:
@Sam-Hake-1
I'm creating a documentary to tell the compelling story of my amazing friend Nikki Phelix who suddenly and shockingly suffered a life-altering stroke at 26 years old. Her story is one of strength, determination, and hope in overcoming the harsh realities of being a young stroke survivor. Her story is powerful and it needs to be told.
Young stroke survivors are not alone and because they are a largely unknown or unthought of community, every bit of awareness and education helps.
It is important to recognize the emotional and mental aspects of recovery in addition to the physical recovery that can take months or years to achieve after a debilitating stroke.
When you're young, you think you're invincible. You think all your friends around you are too. You never think that at 26, when starting a new chapter in her career, your friend will have a stroke. A stroke that will change her life forever.
How could this have happened!? She's so young. So healthy. So full of life.
This friend of mine is Nikki. We're both from the same small town in Rochester, NY and a part of the same inseparable group of friends. She's the girl that's always smiling, always being playful, and always warming people's hearts with her contagious laugh. When we all heard the news of her stroke, it rocked every single one of us. We couldn't grasp the idea.
I thought strokes happened to older people? Our grandparents. The doctors still don't know the cause? That's terrifying.
NIKKI'S STORY IN HER OWN WORDS:
At 26 years old, my world changed when I suffered a stroke due to a Vertebral Artery Dissection. The cause of the dissection remains unknown and I quickly learned I was not alone in being a young stroke survivor. I lost functioning of the left side of my body but clung to the hope my doctors gave me when they told me there was a chance for a full recovery.
Since taking my "first steps" for the second time in my life, I've regained physical strength back and now focus on trying to adjust to my 'new normal' every day.
At 26 years old, I was not expecting to encounter stroke. My family and friends were in disbelief, as well. The medical professionals working with me were well trained, but they appeared just as shocked as we were. The individuals dictating the various aspects of my recovery knew the impact of stroke on elder patients and their lives, but my situation seemed a bit foreign to them. Information on the internet is even scarce; my caregivers and family members found it difficult to help without such knowledge. We were all relying on someone else to know something more than we did, which is a scary thing when you are dealing with significant impairments to your physical body and life circumstances.
Support groups for young stroke survivors are hard to come by. I’ve chosen to be part of a support group which is available for survivors of all ages. While I am extremely grateful for the sense of community and belonging it provides, can we really expect a 75-year-old survivor to grasp the impact of stroke on employment, family planning, financial dependency, etc. for someone under the age of 30? Just as I cannot truly understand the impact of stroke on someone in a later life stage, I cannot expect someone else to understand the impact on survivors in the life stage of which I currently belong.
With this film, I hope people will see the impact that a stroke has on survivors of all ages as well as the depth of the invisible aspects of recovering from a life-altering stroke.
USE OF FUNDS
Because of my years of experience shooting, editing, producing, running sound, and managing all admin duties of award-winning documentary films and broadcast and cable network television programs, I'm luckily able to be a one-woman swiss-army knife film crew in telling this story.
However, there are several expenses with which I still need help to make this film a reality:
- Professional Production Gear Rental (Camera, lenses, lights, etc.)
- Airfare travel to and from Nikki's current residence in North Carolina
- Subscriptions/Licenses for Professional Music and Editing Software
- Fees for Film Festival Submissions
- Creation of Professional Digital Masters of the film
- Hard Drives for Project/File Storage
UPCOMING SHOOTS
Because Nikki will be in town in Rochester over the Christmas holiday, my hope is to film with her, her boyfriend, and her family as much as possible.
In order to do so, I'm hoping to raise enough funds by then to cover the first round of principal photography.
DISTRIBUTION PLAN
Because of my experience with the film festival circuit, my goal is to have the film screen at festivals first before seeking distribution if possible. In the past, projects I've worked on have been picked up by CNN Films, PBS, Al Jazeera America, MTV, and more. They've also gone on to win several festival awards, a CLIO Image Award, a Vimeo Staff Pick, and qualify for Oscar® consideration.
Furthermore, the film will be a powerful and emotional tool in helping others understand how to tackle life after a stroke and Nikki will be able to use it in collaboration with her work as a young stroke-survivor advocate and speaker with groups such as Mental Health In Motion.
THANK YOU!
This project is near and dear to me and one that will touch the hearts of so many people - whether or not they've been personally affected by stroke or a family illness. EVERYONE can learn from and relate to a story of overcoming the odds and finding empowerment within yourself. It truly takes a village to lift someone back up again and seeing the heart that Nikki has and the strength she gets from her family (who have stopped their lives to support her) is unbelievably heartwarming and inspiring.
Every little donation helps and I so appreciate it!
VENMO REQUESTS
I've received some requests from individuals preferring to donate via Venmo.
If you would prefer to donate that way, please make sure to include STROKE DOCUMENTARY DONATION in your message and donate to:
@Sam-Hake-1
Organizer
Samantha Hake
Organizer
Rochester, NY