
Defining Hope
Documentary
Overview
We aren't dying the way we used to. We have ventilators, dialysis machines, ICUs-technologies that can "fix" us and keep our bodies alive-which have radically changed how we make medical decisions. In our death-denying culture, no matter how sick we get, there is always "hope." Defining Hope tells the story of patients dealing with life-threatening illness as they move between ICUs, operating rooms, hospice care and home. Diane is a nurse caring for end-stage cancer patients when she is diagnosed with ovarian cancer herself. 23-year-old Alena undergoes a risky brain surgery that destroys her short-term memory. 95-year-old Berthold lives with his elderly wife who struggles to honor his wish of dying peacefully at home. Defining Hope follows these patients and others- and the nurses that guide them along the way- as they face death, embrace hope, and ultimately redefine what makes life worth living.
Top Cast
Rudolph Bilotti Sr.
Rudolph Bilotti Sr.
Self
Rudolph Bilotti Sr.
Self
Berthold Cohen
Berthold Cohen
Self
Berthold Cohen
Self


Charlotte Cohen
Charlotte Cohen
Self
Charlotte Cohen
Self
Carmen Hernandez
Carmen Hernandez
Self
Carmen Hernandez
Self
Deborah LaFond
Deborah LaFond
Self - Nurse
Deborah LaFond
Self - Nurse
JoAnn Nayer-Grutza
JoAnn Nayer-Grutza
Self - Nurse
JoAnn Nayer-Grutza
Self - Nurse
Gilbert Oakley
Gilbert Oakley
Self - Nurse
Gilbert Oakley
Self - Nurse
Diane Ryan
Diane Ryan
Self - Nurse
Diane Ryan
Self - Nurse
Barbara Stephenson
Barbara Stephenson
Self
Barbara Stephenson
Self
Alena Sydnor
Alena Sydnor
Self
Alena Sydnor
Self
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