On October 16, 2021, the United Chinese Americans (UCA) WAVES Program held the public event “Stories That Save Lives,” a documentary film short screening and panel discussion. 395 people from 45 states across the U.S. participated in the event.
The documentary, by award-winning documentary filmmaker and professor Changfu Chang, showed how mental illness brought a devastating blow to a family. Elaine Peng and her daughter Irene Wei of that family spoke after the short screening. Out of the abyss of pain from losing her husband, Peng is now a strong mental health advocate and educator, helping people who face related challenges, at NAMI Chinese, an affiliate of the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI).
Read more in Chinese via UCA’s WeChat article on the event.
10月16日，美国华人联合会精神健康项目组（以下简称UCA Waves）组织了一场“探讨抑郁、自杀和其他精神疾病”的公益讲座，讲座中首映了由获奖纪录片导演常昌富教授（Changfu Chang）为两个家庭拍摄的纪录片《走出深渊（Stories that save lives）》中的部分内容，再现了精神疾病是如何给彭一玲（Elaine ）和Irene这个家庭带来毁灭性打击的痛苦历程……从痛苦的深渊走出来，彭女士和她的女儿Irene投入了义工的行列，帮助许许多多有同样困扰的人。
人生不如意十之八九，当遭遇劫难，有人选择逃避，彭女士和她的女儿Irene选择了坚强面对; 当经历生离死别，有人选择沉沦，彭女士和她的女儿Irene选择了化悲痛为警示世人的勇气和力量；世界吻她们以痛,她们选择报之以歌！