New Documentary on EDS Shines Light on What Families with Complex Illnesses Endure in Healthcare
- The Norris Lab
- May 12
- 2 min read
In a time when the failures of healthcare are coming under scrutiny, COMPLICATED tells the poignant story of kids with complex illnesses suffering at the margins of mainstream medicine--and their parents who risk losing them if they go too far to help. It is a shocking look at a hidden epidemic in pediatric care when complex disease, lack of research, and the limits of child protection collide. Directed by Emmy-nominated filmmaker Andrew Abrahams, Complicated showcases the reality for children with Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome and their families.
Leveraging the film as a tool to create lasting change in medicine and healthcare, the Norris Lab is collaborating with Complicated's team to qualify Complicated for Academy Award Eligibility in the Feature Documentary category. By bringing Complicated to the global stage through an Oscar nomination, we could expand critical awareness of Ehlers-Danlos syndrome and amplify its impact. This film has the power to illuminate the lived experiences of those with EDS, exposing the systemic barriers to adequate care in a healthcare system that too often meets complex diseases with skepticism rather than support. This doubt doesn’t just delay diagnoses; it costs people their lives and livelihoods, tears families apart, and inflicts needless suffering and strain. By confronting these urgent issues, the film has the potential to drive a global shift toward more compassionate, informed, and patient-centered care.
To expand the film's impact, we have partnered with MIND, the MUSC Institute for Neuroscience Discovery, to offer a private screening of the movie at their MIND 2025 Conference, taking place from May 29th to 31st. The MIND 2025 Conference aims to bring together patients, families, researchers, health practitioners, and community leaders for an exciting journey into the future of brain and spine health, with a full day of speakers dedicated to understanding and treating Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome.
Members of our lab will be speaking at the conference on a range of EDS-related topics, including the new EDS Institute at MUSC, cranio-cervical instability in EDS, the role of patient-scientists in shaping the future of research, and a proposed roadmap for advancing EDS research. We invite you to join us at the conference and be part of the conversation driving meaningful change in the EDS community.
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