If Not Us, Then Who? is more than a well-being forum — it’s a call to illuminate what’s long been kept in the shadows. This online gathering, hosted by Hidden Truths Project, invited us to witness the lived experience of epilepsy through the lens of art, empathy, and truth-telling. Musical Medicine is a powerful exploration of music’s influence on the brain, the body, and the heart. Research shows that music can: Shape how our nervous system functions and releases neurotransmitters. Evoke complex emotions that go far beyond “happy” or “sad.” Ease the psychological distress of illness. In rare cases, trigger musicogenic seizures, revealing deep connections between emotion, memory, and the electrical discharges in the brain in people with epilepsy. Music as knowledge. Music as healing. Music as storytelling from the inside out. In this video, musician and advocate Guy W. Stoker guided us through Purple Universe, a genre-spanning album giving voice to the lived experience of epilepsy. Together, we explored isolation, medication side effects, and — in a powerful twist — hear from epilepsy itself.
She was made perfectly imperfect — and that became her greatest strength.
Explore the extraordinary life and legacy of Janet Lee, a Malaysian artist who defied expectations, challenged stigma, and created beauty in the face of adversity. Living with epilepsy, Janet refused to let her diagnosis define her. Instead, she transformed her journey into a beacon of hope for neurodivergent artists, families, and communities around the world. This special screening and conversation will highlight the new documentary film directed by award-winning young filmmaker Sanadtkumar Ganesan, featuring heartfelt reflections from Joyce Moi, Joanne Lee, and remarkable individuals across the globe whose lives have been touched by Janet’s story. Together, we’ll celebrate a tale of acceptance, love, and kindness — and the powerful truth that our imperfections are often the source of our greatest gifts.
Janna Kimel & Ash Jorgenson Discuss the Chronic Pain Project’s Art Exhibition
It’s an art exhibition shining a light on chronic pain and invisible illnesses. Janna Kimel, Executive Director and founder of the Chronic Pain Project, joined us along with featured artist, Ash Jorgenson, to share how the exhibition creates visibility for artists whose work emerges from lived experience with chronic pain—perspectives rarely seen in traditional gallery spaces. Through painting, fiber arts, mixed media, and other visual forms, these artists transform invisible experiences into powerful visual stories.
The exhibition includes works that explore themes of isolation, resilience, the frustration of invisible illness, and unexpected moments of beauty within struggle. Each piece offers viewers a window into experiences that affect millions but remain largely unseen in public discourse. The Chronic Pain Project presents its third major exhibition featuring over 30 artists from Portland, across the United States, and internationally from the UK, Germany, and Switzerland.
LET’S ROLL – 2024 Easterseals Disability Film Challenge Entry*
Mother and Grandmother have opposing philosophies when it comes to helping Abby, who has intractable epilepsy, accept a wheelchair she doesn’t want.
Universal Auras by Ingrid Pfau
My name is Ingrid Pfau, and I am not afraid to share that I have active epilepsy. After all, I am a filmmaker who works with people with disabilities in Birmingham, AL at the National Center on Health Physical Activity and Disability (NCHPAD). My journey toward understanding that I had drug-resistant epilepsy happened at the University of Alabama, Birmingham (UAB), where after 10 years of unsuccessful drug treatments, I had stereoEEG (SEEG). Accepting that my hair would vanish, 14 electrodes were drilled into the temporal region of my skull and brain and left there for 10 days. During this time, I could not walk out of my hospital room and had multiple tonic-clonic seizures. My comprehensive epilepsy care team found where my seizures were coming from—the whole point of an SEEG. Unlike most people, I asked to have everything that was used during the procedure given to me as a gift when I left UAB.
Linda Sudlesky And Steven Schachter M.D.: Visions —Changing Lives Through Advocacy
Linda Sudlesky And Steven Schachter M.D.: Visions —Changing Lives Through Advocacy
Illuminating Epilepsy Through Storytelling: The Films of Ingrid Pfau
Ingrid Pfau is a documentary filmmaker from Birmingham, Alabama, whose storytelling spans the USA, India, and Spain. Her films shine a light on human rights issues, with a particular focus on the experiences of people with disabilities. Since 2015, she has collaborated with the National Center on Health, Physical Activity, and Disability (NCHPAD), creating work that is both socially conscious and deeply human.
Living with cerebral palsy and epilepsy, Ingrid often creates alongside her identical twin, Celeste, who does not have epilepsy. Together, they explore disability, identity, and social justice through a creative partnership that is as meaningful as it is visually compelling.
We invite you to explore Ingrid’s extraordinary body of work—especially her films that illuminate the diverse realities of living with epilepsy through bold, imaginative, and emotionally resonant storytelling.
Discover her work, share it, and help amplify the voices her films elevate. Her videos are available on Vimeo and YouTube. A few of her videos are posted below.
