Documentary “A Lion in the House” features chief of UC Davis pediatric cancer program

Theodore Zwerdling, an associate professor of pediatrics and chief of the pediatric cancer program at UC Davis Cancer Center and UC Davis Children’s Hospital, is featured in a two-part documentary about childhood cancer, “A Lion in The House.” The documentary will have its broadcast premiere on the PBS series “Independent Lens” at 9 p.m. on KVIE Channel 6 on June 21 and June 22. The documentary will air as part of the Sacramento PBS station’s “Focus on Health Initiative,” which is sponsored by UC Davis Health System.

Zwerdling was a physician at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital in Cincinnati when the documentary was made. The film follows five children – Tim, Alex, Al, Jen and Justin – over a six-year period. Zwerdling was part of the medical team that cared for Justin, a teenager whose entire adolescence was defined by his leukemia and its treatment.

“The documentary team had complete access to everything,” said Zwerdling, who has screened the film. “They followed the patients everywhere and overheard every discussion. Viewers will be amazed, I think. Pediatric cancer and the issues surrounding it, including the emotional impact on patients, parents, siblings and extended families, the financial toll on families, the obstacles that can be posed by insurance and pharmaceutical companies, the challenges that remain after treatment – these issues have never been aired so frankly.”

“A Lion in The House” is the longest film to win the prestigious Documentary Competition at the Sundance Film Festival. According to a PBS press release, the documentary shows “the stresses that can tear a family apart as well as the courage of children facing the possibility of death with honesty, dignity and humor.”

Zwerdling joined UC Davis in 2001 and has served as chief of pediatric hematology and oncology since 2005. He oversees a program that treats about 300 children each year, offers more than 50 clinical trials at any given time, operates the region’s only pediatric bone marrow transplant program and pediatric hospice, and conducts cutting-edge research aimed at finding new ways to prevent, diagnosis and treat pediatric cancer. The program is profiled this month on the Web site of the Children’s Oncology Group, a national clinical trials cooperative dedicated to discovering better treatments for pediatric cancers. The profile is available at: http://www.curesearch.org/our_research/index_sub.aspx?id=3101

“A Lion in The House” will be accompanied by a national community outreach campaign. The campaign is a partnership of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Lance Armstrong Foundation and the American Cancer Society, among 20 other organizations. According to PBS, the goal of the campaign is to “transform viewer responses into actions that will improve care and strengthen support systems for everyone fighting childhood cancer, especially for those who face socioeconomic challenges.” An outreach Web site for “ A Lion in The House,” www.itvs.org/outreach/lioninthehouse, includes discussion materials, fact sheets, video clips from the film, outreach resources and more.

A specific outreach project for young adult survivors of childhood cancer, the “Survivor Alert” project, will engage and inform young adults of their risks and responsibilities as cancer survivors. This project’s Web site is www.survivoralert.org.

In addition, “ Independent Lens” will launch an interactive companion Web site, www.pbs.org/independentlens/lioninthehouse, with detailed information on the documentary, including an interview with the filmmakers and resources on childhood cancer. The site will also feature a “Talkback” section where viewers can share ideas and opinions and watch preview clips.