LIVEINFILM.COM
Ricky who has just turned 18 is dealing with skull based and brainstem chordoma (a rare, slow-growing cancer that originates in the bones of the skull base or spine, specifically from remnants of the notochord)
He is currently being cared for at Kings College Hospital in London and has been there for 9 months battling through many types of treatment. We are incredibly grateful for the Doctors, Nurses & Staff commitment to bring him through this.
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Ricky's primary form of connecting to the outside world was watching entertainment from a small tablet device which sat just above his head from a lying position. He also communicated from this device via a VOCA voice output communication aid as he is unable to speak because of a tracheostomy tube.
Now he has his own Micro Ciné Unit. (The MC Unit) due to Go Fund Me & Private donations. (You can see it with the gallery).
As a filmmaker and film director, I wish to bring cinema experiences to his other patients bedside to stimulate their restricted life. A portable device which acts as a mini cinema for him and other patients in hospitals and hospices going forward.
Although I realise virtual reality goggles are serving well within the care system, a good percentage of patients find it very uncomfortable and sometimes impossible to use them with Ricky being one of them as he has little strength in his neck.
There are 2 extra layers of experience, the first being the internal room shared experience of family members alongside patients when visiting and the second being an experience of an exciting realisation my company is growing:
Real Time Social & Communal Experience
A live interactive shared experience designed to connect patients with the outside world when their main carer wishes to share activities with them.
Imagine a scenario where a patient can still participate in everyday experiences like fishing, attending football matches, concerts, Church Sermons and even going shopping, all through the eyes of their carer.
To facilitate this, we are proactively trialling the technology of a dual camera extended to one's personal phone creating a split screen live interaction known as the POV Heart Cam.
This allows the patient to simultaneously see the point of view of the main carer as they demonstrate an activity, along with the carer's face from their mobile phone, fostering a higher sense of presence and shared engagement. We also see the possibility of ways to create other senses when watching the mobile cinema screen for example small fans creating a breeze or even a wind through the hair experience if a roller-coaster ride was being shared with the patient.
Ricky and both of his parents Andy and Emma wish to be a part of this new journey exploring the reality of bringing more stimuli in facing this fierce disease.
As we have designed and built the first mobile unit with existing technology, we shall experiment lightly with Ricky's interactions and update you on our progress frequently in relation to the Heart POV Cam. (We have a working model consisting of two phones and excellent software).
Ricky and both of his parents Andy and Emma wish to be a part of this new journey exploring the reality of bringing more stimuli in facing this fierce disease.
Latest update from 6th July, Paul and Ricky's Father discuss how the first Micro Ciné Unit has settled in and the arrival of a new eye tracker screen supplied for enhanced communication as Ricky has lost the use of both hands now.
To support Ricky & Others like him, please consider the GoFundMe Campaign which can be found by clicking on the GoFundMe Logo.