Hi! My name is Heather Alison. I am 23 years old and a two-time cancer survivor. I am asking for your support for my independent short, "Great White Lies."

I want to say thank you so much for taking interest in my film. I have been writing since a young age and it is incredible to finally be creating something that is so close to my heart with such an amazing team. I sincerely appreciate any contribution that is given to me for this project. You will be part of sending an important message that will hopefully make an impact on the cancer community and beyond.

My Background

In the summer of 2016, just after my 19th birthday, I found myself in a hospital room hearing the words, "You have leukemia." My life was put on hold for the next six months while I endured four rounds of chemotherapy. Exactly one year later, I relapsed, and had to spend over a year recovering from more chemotherapy and a stem cell transplant.

The first time I went through treatment, I immediately tried to return to my life in college like nothing had changed. I tried desperately to put everything behind me and go back to my old habits: partying, tailgating, drinking, and staying out late. I had to accept the fact that things would never be the same, and this led to an incredibly difficult journey discovering my "new normal."

"Great White Lies" is a short film about an 18 year old girl, Sofia, going to a party for the first time since she finished cancer treatment.Throughout the short, she deals with many issues that are common among young adult cancer patients/survivors: body image, social anxiety, isolation, awkward questions, and broken relationships.

She struggles with the inevitable thoughts that everything would be so much easier if she'd never gotten sick. However, as she goes through the events of the film, Sofia realizes that partying with her peers is not as important as she may have once thought, and the most important thing is that she has made it to where she is today. She'll keep moving forward- like a shark.