The impact of making a video cancer narrative in an adolescent male: A case study

Illness narratives, including video narratives, created by young people allow expressiion of one's story about their struggles. It has been shown that creating these narratives can improve health outcomes and overall quality of life. This article provides a theoretical background as to why adolescent and young adult (AYA) cancer patients may benefit from creating video illness narratives and presents an exemplary case of this approach with a young man receiving treatment for T-Cell Leukemia. Thematic aspects of his narrative are identified and explored. Qualitative information about his experience filming as well as his responses to a questionnaire regarding the impact of making his video narrative with respect to his emotional health, medical plans, relationships with others (including medical providers) are also reported.