The film's director, Laurel Chiten, suffered a head injury and collapsed lung in a car accident at the age of 17. Months later, at home and "healed," her neck began jerking uncontrollably. A doctor eventually diagnosed her condition as dystonia, a rare neurological disorder that forces muscles to twist into abnormal, often painful movements or postures. Dystonia is the subject of Chiten's latest project, Twisted.
Twisted connects the stories of Pat Brogan, a basketball coach and triathlete who developed dystonia after a bicycle accident; Shari Tritt, whose dystonia affects her whole body; and Remy Campbell, an artist who gambled on a radical form of brain surgery--and won. Together, these individuals try to answer the question, “When you are trapped inside your body, what will set you free?”
An up-and-coming Penn State basketball coach before he developed dystonia, Brogan will discuss his experience living with dystonia during the panel discussion after the screening. Other panel members include Linda Bruner, a local advocate with dystonia; neurologist Joseph Handler of Neurology Associates; and Bernice and Arthur Hindle, local dystonia support group coordinators.
Sponsored, by the University of Delaware's Center for Disabilities Studies and the DFRC Foundation, the event is the third installment in “Life Portraits Series,” which aims to educate and inform the public about the lives of people with disabilities while countering negative stereotypes and showing how people with disabilities are active members of their communities.
To make seating reservations, call (302) 831-3632 or send e-mail to [beccad@udel.edu].
