Well, when cancer became a reality in my life, I felt compelled to tell a story that dealt with cancer as my way of coming to terms with it. My goal was to portray cancer realistically and perhaps somewhat brutally. Cancer is not a gentle thing. It is brutal. It is more than a plot point. So by putting cancer up on the screen in an emotionally honest way, I hoped to honour anyone who has ever had to live through the experience of cancer, and that includes patients, family and friends.