From behind the camera to in front of it | Louisville filmmaker shares her thyroid cancer journey | Morning

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- A thyroid cancer survivor from Louisville is telling her story on the big screen.

Bryn Silverman directed the short documentary about a woman who battled through thyroid cancer. What made it even more special is that the film is about her own cancer experience.

Bryn Silverman and Lori Mangum with Gilda's Club Kentuckiana joined WDRB Mornings on Friday to talk about the film.

Silverman was inspired to make the film as she explained she is not used to being in front of the camera, only behind it. She is a film producer by trade, but wanted a way to share her journey and spread awareness about thyroid cancer to others.

"I had to learn how to become the patient and learn the identity of what that was," Silverman said on WDRB Mornings. "I felt like there was something about the years it took and different stages I went through that I needed to share, so I turned the camera to myself."

The film, Expression of Illness: A Louisvillian’s Thyroid Cancer Experience, is playing Jan. 27 from 2-4 p.m. at Gilda's Club Kentuckiana.

Gilda's Club Kentuckiana is a non-profit organization focusing on supporting people affected by cancer in the community.

Founded in 2005, it was the first cancer support community of its kind in the Louisville area. Now almost 20 years later, they are the largest cancer support community in the world.

"There is something about the cancer experience that binds people together, whether they be the patient or a loved one, in a very unique way and different than any other experience in life," Mangum said on WDRB Mornings. "Gilda's Club provides a community where they can feel safe, heard, and understood."

Following the film, there will be a discussion panel featuring two of Silverman's doctors who are also from Louisville.

The film is free to the public on Saturday.