The Amazing Group

Kayla has been traveling…a lot, shades of our old life in Atlanta. Going on our second week apart, she was here, for two days, and now in Atlanta for a conference (I’m envious) for almost 10 days. She returns two days before the Max/Kayla birthday. Although we really really miss her here it is far easier when she travels for so long as there is plenty of help for me here.

I have sort of stumbled into an extrodinary opportunity. There was this study the CDC did here. About pregnant women who are HIV positive and breastfeeding and their meds and they gave birth to HIV negative babies. I don’t know the whole story yet but it is amazing. Turns out a group of women in the study got together and formed a support group, they have been together now for two years. They named the group appropriately the Amazing Group. I have been asked to do a documentary film on them! What do I know about making documentaries? I’m flying by the seat of my pants here.

I went to one of their sessions to talk about the project and get their permission to film them. They were so into it! They are willing to go so totally public about their HIV status in order to help other women like themselves who don’t know that they should be getting tested and put on this regiment for the best possible outcome for their unborn baby. They want me to film them at their homes even! They want people to see how they live. I’ve done two interviews so far and to find their homes I’ve had to go into some of the deepest slums, where people stare at me as if I’m a Martian (not too many white people ever get this far in). It's a little un-nerving but it's worth it because their stories are so…moving and inspiring. I hope I do a good job with this. I told them that they would be the first ones to see it. If they don’t like it, I won’t show it to anyone else. Anybody have any advice on making a documentary??