NMAMBC #28: “Lights, Camera, Action” -Or- “A Fighting Chance”

Migraine Awareness Month #28: “Lights, Camera, Action” -OR- “A Fighting Chance”

“Pick a movie character you can identify with, talk a bit about them and why you identify with them.”

I’m a fan of historical movies: not the vintage types (sorry, old-movie lovers!!), but almost any fiction or non-fiction story set in a time before the 19th century. I’m also drawn to characters like soldiers, warriors and men fighting adversity in achieving their goals. I commonly identify with these men; a few of them are:

• “Benjamin” in “The Patriot” (played by Mel Gibson). Benjamin is a man scarred by war – past & present; because of his past experiences and American Indian influences, he reluctantly carries with him a hatred, vengeance, and a violent side that he cannot relinquish. He eventually fights alongside his son, but then loses almost everything except his spirit, pride and a few of his family members. For me, Benjamin’s anger, perseverance and even violent, fractured side eerily ring true to my own feelings of fighting hard battles (Migraine and a few more…) – losing much, but later regaining a life lost while allowing some of the more raw edges to be smoothed, too in the process. It’s a tough movie for me to watch, but is also oddly comforting and familiar.
• “Inman” in “Cold Mountain” (played by Jude Law). Inman falls in love, but has to leave this new love to fight as a soldier in the civil war. Inman’s story is also a struggle: he fights for years, meets, resists, and conquers more in his life than he chose to. Inman’s toughest and hardest won battle is the one fought in getting back to his home and love. The courage, feeling and drive he displays also left me moved and able to identify with Inman and his story.
• “Almasy” in “The English Patient” (played by Ralph Fiennes). Almasy is a “damaged man” with a damaged past. The movie is set in Almasy’s sick/death bed in a bombed-out, ceiling-less house where he recounts his story to a nurse who is dedicated to healing the burned man’s soul. Almasy tells of a fateful love with a married woman – one he later cannot save. His tortured life and courageous struggle to get back to his love before it was too late compels me and seems to live within me.

Of course I’m not a soldier, not a warrior and definitely not a man (!!), but these characters and their struggles have given me strength, made me think, and compelled me to push harder and strive for the courage that has ultimately brought me hope. I believe that having a chronic illness like Migraine Disease shares similarities to war and struggle that just can’t be denied…

I am that soldier, and Migraine Disease is my battle.

“National Migraine Awareness Month is initiated by the National Headache Foundation. The Blogger’s Challenge is initiated by www.FightingHeadacheDisorders.com “