Lee MontaAcclaimed filmmaker and wellness advocate Kelly Noonan Gores will host Cancer: From Fear to Hope, an evening of healing and conversation at the Writers Guild Theatre in Beverly Hills, tomorrow, May 8. The event runs from 6 to 9 p.m. and marks the kickoff of a new series of gatherings inspired by the impact of Gores’ documentary HEAL.
Billed as “a conversation and healing experience,” the evening brings together a range of holistic healers and cancer experts to share insights and support for anyone touched by cancer — whether as a patient, caregiver, or loved one. The event blends inspiration, education, and community, aiming to help shift the emotional and spiritual weight that often accompanies a cancer diagnosis.
The event features Gores alongside Dr. Katie Deming, an oncologist that advocates for a holistic approach; Rev. Michael Beckwith, spiritual leader and Founder of the Agape International Spiritual Center; and energy healer Charlie Goldsmith.
One hundred percent of event profits will go to cancer-related causes, including Cancer Support Community Los Angeles. In addition, 1,000 tickets are being donated to those in need, thanks to contributions from attendees and sponsors. The event will also be livestreamed for free, expanding access to a global audience.
Kelly Gores, right, in conversation. (Courtesy of HEAL)
The evening is the first in a broader initiative by Gores, the writer-director of the Netflix documentary HEAL, who is now preparing to launch HELD, a personalized healing app, and a new docuseries exploring the links between the nervous system, stored emotion, and chronic illness.
Attendees can also expect on-site contributions from wellness partners including Prenuvo (advanced full-body scans for early detection), Air Doctor, AquaTru, Juna, and JUST WATER.
We spoke with Gores about the journey to get to this event and its importance:
Why was it important for you to create this event now — and why Los Angeles?
Kelly Gores: Truth be told, I am approached often by people just given a cancer diagnosis or by someone whose loved one has just been diagnosed in hopes that I can share resources that will help them heal, given my network and background with HEAL. This is happening more often and at an alarming rate, and in younger individuals. There is so much fear that gets ignited with a cancer diagnosis, and navigating the experience is often lonely and isolating. I want to continue to remind people of the incredible intelligence of the human body, and open the aperture on what’s possible by sharing success stories, holistic modalities, and a shift in perception around cancer. I live in Los Angeles, cancer is as rampant here as anywhere else AND people are pretty open and interested in exploring the mental, emotional, and spiritual side of healing.
What do you hope attendees (both in-person and virtual) walk away with?
I hope that the attendees both virtual and in person walk away with more hope and confidence that healing is possible for them no matter what the stage or type. I hope that they can walk away with a shift in perception that cancer brings an opportunity to awaken and align to aspects of themselves that were forgotten. And I hope that they gain the practical tools to become their own advocate and trust their intuition to guide their unique healing journey.
This is a heavy topic — cancer — but your event title includes the word “hope.” Why was that important to include, and how do you define hope in this context?
I believe HOPE is everything. We must be shown more examples of success in order to strengthen our belief about what’s possible for our lives. My formula for the HEAL documentary was to empower people with wisdom about the incredible intelligence and healing capacity of the human body, and then inspire them with examples of people defying odds to strengthen the audience’s belief that healing is possible for them too. Without HOPE, fear relentlessly grips the wheel and it is much harder to heal. As we saw from Kelly Turner, PhD’s work in Radical Remission, people have healed from every type and stage of cancer. Let’s continue to study those cases (like the women on the panel) and ignite HOPE in the hearts of everyone who attends.
You’ve spent years exploring mind-body healing through your film and podcast. What role does community and storytelling play in that process?
We are social beings meant to heal, grow, and thrive in community. A cancer diagnosis can be extremely isolating so bringing people together to support each other and share resources is paramount. And as far as storytelling, you have intuitively picked up on my throughline for the evening. We are all storytellers. Our lives are the story we tell. Getting a cancer diagnosis is not the time to give away your pen. It is an opportunity to write a new story and take charge of what you want your story to be. Sometimes we just need to be reminded that we have the power to write a new story and co-create a rebirth or a return to our truest selves.
You lost your home in the Palisades fire — has that experience shaped your mission to support physical and emotional healing? Are you thinking about the Los Angeles community and the lasting health effects of recent wildfires? In what ways do you hope this event can offer support — physically, emotionally, or energetically — to those who may still be experiencing the impacts of environmental trauma and toxic exposure?
This is a great question. I myself am still processing it all: The tremendous loss of all of our belongings, our beloved community, and the sheer magnitude of it all, affecting so many of us. I do believe my mission to inspire hope and healing in Los Angeles and beyond amplified, or rather intensified, after this collective experience. To be honest, trying to understand the gravity of the toxic exposure to all of us in the air, soil, waterways, and ocean is just too overwhelming for me. But I do have unwavering faith in the incredible intelligence and resilience of the human body. It is my belief that if we can continue to support our bodies mentally, emotionally, energetically, nutritionally, and spiritually, we can adapt and navigate all of the unseen toxicity in the environment. Unbridled fear is perhaps the greatest toxin, so the more tools, support, and examples of love, compassion, possibility, and positive efforts in the community, the better chance we have at overcoming these challenges.
Cancer: From Fear to Hope will be held Thursday, May 8, from 6 – 9 p.m. at Writers Guild Theatre, 135 S Doheny Dr, Beverly Hills, CA.
For tickets and more information, visit hope.healwithkelly.co/heal-from-fear-to-hope.