Released on = March 28, 2007, 7:29 am

Press Release Author = Laurence Magne

Industry = Healthcare

Press Release Summary = From the desk of Dr Magne, author of Cancer Free For Life

Press Release Body = Ruth Yorkin Drazen was 69 when her husband died of prostate
cancer. She thought she\'d be terrified when he died, only to experience an entirely
different emotion.

\"It was his having a way out to peace,\" says Drazen, now 88. \"And if you love
someone, you don\'t want them to suffer.\"

His passing, and the realization that so many people were consumed with fear at the
thought of death, led Drazen to launch an entirely new career in her early 70s:
documentary filmmaking.

Her first feature, \"On the Edge of Being: When Doctors Confront Cancer,\" described
doctors\' personal journeys as patients. And she didn\'t stop there.

In April, PBS will air Yorkin\'s fifth film in 13 years _ a look at the life of
composer Gustav Mahler. The film is not only a combination of many subjects that
interest Drazen _ psychology, philosophy, religion and music. It\'s also a tribute to
the beauty of life, something Drazen believes many fail to appreciate.

\"Heal the world _ that\'s what my intention is,\" she says. \"And I feel so lucky that
I\'m here to do that.\"

Drazen was born in Washington, Pa., the oldest of three children in a middle-class
family. Her parents exposed her to music early on, taking her to concerts in
Pittsburgh as a child and encouraging her piano studies.

She went on to study piano at The Institute of Music in Philadelphia. Her first
marriage ended in divorce, partly due to the stress of the death of the couple\'s
baby boy. The child, Anton, died of a rare genetic disorder before he turned 1. Her
grief over her son sparked Drazen\'s interest in curing genetic illnesses. She spent
years working for the Muscular Dystrophy Association and the National Genetics
Foundation.

Drazen lives in a spacious apartment in Manhattan. At her side is a walker that
she\'s used ever since fracturing her neck in a fall three years ago. Her mental
agility is boundless, however, and she talks with a confidence and verve that
borders on saucy.

Her 28-year husband\'s struggle with cancer, and the elements of care he received at
the hospital, served as a catalyst for her foray into filmmaking, but the roots of
her interest in dealing with life and death go back futher, she says.

\"I think that was the force of my filmmaking,\" she says. \"Because in reality, I\'ve
been looking for her.\"

\"The Choice is Yours,\" a documentary she produced a few years ago, looked at the
life and philosophy of Viktor Frankl, a psychiatrist and Holocaust survivor who
promoted the belief that man\'s primary motivational force is his search for meaning.
The award-winning film includes footage of Frankl\'s lectures as well as interviews
with physicians and patients who have endured cancer and other diseases.

\"It\'s possible for people to have a medical problem and still have a good life,\" she
says. \"It is possible to turn the most negative experiences into something positive,
and that\'s what we need to do more of and be less self-centered.\"

Her upcoming film explores the role of music in healing and how the composer turned
to music to deal with often-hard circumstances. Drazen said she first became an
ardent Mahler fan in her early 20s, after hearing some of his music and being
overwhelmed.

\"I think he\'s my soulmate,\" she says of the Austrian composer, who died in 1911.
\"His life is so troubled and he never gives up. That\'s something I adore about him.
Whenever I hurt, I go for him. He helps remind me that this, too, shall pass.\"


Drazen intends to continue. \"I would like, before I leave, to make a film that is
going to address fear at its highest level,\" she says, adding that she\'d also like
to write a book.

After all, she may not fear death, but she does fear something else: retiring

Dr Magne has been researching the origins and causes of disease and cancer for the
past 25 years. Visit www.cancer-free-for-life.com to receive a FREE report on The 10
Ways to Cure Cancer Immediately. This article is available for reprint for your
website and newsletter, provided that you maintain its copyright integrity and
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Web Site = http://cancer-free-for-life.com

Contact Details = Dr Laurence Magne
Publisher, Author
Cancer Free For Life
Email : lmagne@yahoo.com
Website : http://cancer-free-for-life.com