How I went From treating cancer to film making

I didn’t set out to be a documentary filmmaker. For over 15 years, I worked in radiation oncology, treating cancer patients day in and day out. It was a job filled with purpose, and one that brought me face to face with life’s most fragile, sacred moments.

Getting fitted for an N-95 mask, and feeling a bit like an astronaut

In that role, I met people on the best days of their fight, and the worst. I heard stories in treatment rooms, shared tears in quiet hallways, and celebrated scans and milestones that meant everything to the families standing beside them. And over time, I began to carry this quiet awareness with me that life can change in a heartbeat. That stories, memories, and presence are the most valuable things we’ll ever hold. That none of us are guaranteed tomorrow.

I watched people come through those hospital doors terrified, brave, broken, hopeful. And I watched families gather around them, clinging to connection, to time, to words. It taught me that what people need most, more than plans or perfection, is to feel seen and remembered. To know that their life meant something. That their story mattered.

Working in cancer care gave me a deep respect for the quiet in-between moments — the ones we often overlook. It also made me see how easy it is to assume we’ll always have more time. That we’ll ask our parents those questions someday. That we’ll write down the stories or capture the memories eventually. But sometimes, “eventually” never comes.

Showing one of my patient's families the linear accelerator (treatment machine). Making everyone feel as comfortable as possible was my favorite part of my job. I loved serving my patients as well as their whole family.

While I didn’t know it then, that work was shaping me for something else, something I hadn’t yet named. A different kind of healing. A different kind of preservation.

That work gave me eyes to see the urgency and beauty of documenting life while someone is still here, while they can still laugh, reflect, and speak their truth. It planted the seed for what would become Positive Emissions. At the time, I didn’t know what was ahead. But I knew one thing for certain: people deserve to have their stories captured.

Not just for themselves, but for the generations that come after them.

Thank you for being here, and for caring about the stories that make life worth remembering. If you want to start a conversation with your loved ones about their life stories, but you're not sure where to start, checkout the free guide down below.

-Britt

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FREE GUIDE

Want to start the conversation with your loved one? Check out this downloadable FREE GUIDE I've created to get the juices (and stories) flowing!