Media Theatre 11 (open)
Towards Attaining Immortality: An Adolescent's Reflections on His Own Chronic Illness and Death

This Media Theatre offers reflections on eight selected YouTube video clips of Ben Breedlove, an 18-year-old from Austin, Texas, who was diagnosed with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy at age 13 months. During the course of his illness, Ben posted 38 videos on his YouTube channel. Toward the end of his life, Ben posted a 2-part video, on a secret YouTube channel, entitled “This is my story” and utilizing handwritten notecards to communicate with the audience. This session shares Ben's YouTube story; followed by discussion focused on the potential roles social media may play in a chronically ill adolescent, psychological ramifications of Ben’s illness, his coping mechanisms, and the subsequent impact that his online portrait had both on him and his viewers.
Saturday, October 26, 2013: 8:30 AM-10:30 AM
Chair:
Co-presenters:

Sponsored by the AACAP Physically Ill Child Committee

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