June 28th, 2002

Scotts Valley, CA - "I feel that when I go it'll be with dignity and lots of love around me, so what more could you ask," tells Waldene Whitney, an elderly woman dying of pancreatic cancer. "The decisions that have to be made . . . is very, very hard. So if you can do a lot of that with the help of Hospice, it is a gift beyond compare."

After hearing about the success of the Sacred Heart Community Service fundraising video that Tam Communications produced last November, Hospice called Tam for help with their video. As with Sacred Heart, Hospice was holding a fundraising breakfast at which the video would premiere.

Hospice of the Valley provides compassionate end-of-life care for those dying with a terminal illness while providing assistance, through personal and group counseling, to the families coping with a loved ones' death. Because of this sensitive subject, the video had to balance high emotional content with factual information. Hospice wanted their contributors to see the people they are helping and, at the same time, provide information about Hospice for those who know little about end-of-life care. The theme running throughout the video was living with dignity, even to the last moments of life.

"Death and dying is a very difficult subject for people to talk about," says Jacqui Buchanan, producer of the video. "I applaud these courageous people for telling their story. The people you see in the video participated because it was in their heart to do so. They want to give to Hospice as Hospice has given to them."

Buchanan along with Director John Barrett and Cameraman Scott Bayer captured the patients and families who have coped, or are coping, with the end of life experience with the help of Hospice. Edited by John Barrett, the completed video compassionately weaves the stories of the different individuals Hospice serves - patients, such as Waldene Whitney; parents and children, such as the Estivas who lost their 12-year-old son to cancer one month ago; nurses and doctors.

As the video played at the fundraising breakfast, there wasn't a dry eye in the room. The room exploded with applause as the video ended. Since then, Hospice has received countless amounts of praise, from contributors, patients and families, for a video that has truly touched them. They are already planning a follow up event and exploring ideas on how to turn the video into an educational piece.

Tam Communications is a leading digital media company, servicing corporate and entertainment clients by combining technical, creative, and communications expertise in the realms of video, interactive multimedia, and web. The company's expanding spectrum of original entertainment programming—developed for broadcast, cable, syndication, and other venues—airs worldwide. Tam Communications is a privately held company located in Scotts Valley, CA. Please visit our web site at www.tamcom.com.