Cancer Awareness Month: “My Left Hand

Today I received an e-mail containing a copy of the news story below about a man’s personal battle with cancer in his left hand. Joshua Isaac, a young husband, father and writer, documents his experience dealing withe re-occurrence of epithelioid sarcoma—a rare, cancerous tumor. I’d read about Joshua’s story ages ago and remembered being moved by it. So when I got the e-mail today, it prompted me to share his story as part of Cancer Awareness Month. It’s a film well worth watching. There is a link to the trailer at the bottom of the page.

Cancer fight on film

Seattle’s Joshua Isaac used a camera to chronicle his battle with a rare cancer in the documentary ‘My Left Hand.’

SERENA AU; For The News Tribune – Published: August 20th, 2007:



Joshua Isaac enjoys an afternoon with his son, Jacob, 6, at their home in Seattle. Joshua’s film “My Left Hand” recently premiered and tells the story of his battle with cancer that eventually led to amputation of his left hand.

Joshua Isaac had three things going for him as he battled a rare form of cancer: his faith, his family and his film.

Epithelioid sarcoma, which comprises less than 1 percent of all cancers in this country, appeared as a tumor in the center of Isaac’s left hand. Nobody knows what causes it, and no cure has been found. The one-year survival rate is about 50 percent, but rather than surrender to the disease, Isaac approached his cancer with camera in hand.

In his documentary film, “My Left Hand,” Isaac, 34, chronicles his experience dealing with the re-occurrence of his cancer, a rare tumor initially found as a distracting lump in his hand in 1998. He documents his emotions, setbacks, fears and faith while undergoing chemotherapy, radiation and the eventual amputation of his left hand.“I did it because I thought this was a very personal event in my life,” said Isaac.

“One of my first jobs was doing documentary work with the Shoah Foundation down in Los Angeles. I did think in undergraduate school about doing a documentary on my family history, so that tied in with the film.

”Born and raised in North Seattle, Isaac and his family’s lives had always been steeped in Judaism. He met his wife, Kim Haas, a 1989 graduate of Tacoma’s Bellarmine Preparatory School, when they worked as camp counselors together in a Jewish summer camp in 1995.

Judaism and its traditions were a crucial component of Isaac’s battle and recovery. “Oddly, I questioned faith less,” said Isaac. “I embraced Judaism. I was taking comfort in the idea that there possibly is meaning in all of this, maybe for proliferating my life and my principles.”

This did not mean that Isaac was exempt from moments of weakness.“There was definitely disbelief, anger, depression. Psychologically, I could be at an event where my kids were playing and sometimes I would just think about everything that was happening and actually start crying. (I would think), how much longer do I have?”

“But I knew that thinking ‘Why me?’ wasn’t a healthy thing to do,” Isaac said. “Who knows what happens to anyone? Tomorrow I could walk out and get hit by a bus.”Diagnosis came at a difficult time for the family as both Isaac’s parents had recently died. Faced with that devastating news, Isaac entered his cancer treatment with a determination to remain positive with the support of his family and his synagogue.

After an unsuccessful round of chemotherapy, Isaac underwent surgery to amputate his left hand. He later learned that the cancer had metastasized to his lymph nodes, and so he began radiation treatment.

Emboldened by his film and inspired by his two young sons, Sam and Jacob, Isaac persevered, even after the loss of his hand.

In 2005, Isaac received news that rejuvenated his life – the cancer was gone. Isaac has been in remission for 25 months.

Following his battle with cancer, Isaac rejoices in the opportunities available to him, even with the loss of his hand.“I never was a guitar player, so that’s OK,” he said. “Jacob (his older son) has gotten into T-ball, that’s one sport I can’t go do with him. Even tying shoes for me is tough. But being able to coach their soccer team, that’s still something I can do. So I do it.”

Isaac, who works as a media producer at Microsoft, continues to write using the aid of voice recognition software. Today, Isaac wears his wedding ring on his right hand. For him, removing the ring from his left hand was a source of strength. “It was kind of a symbolic moment,” said Isaac. “For me, it was like ‘I’m losing my hand, but this is something stronger than my hand.”

There is a another chapter to the story. Isaac, who had been told that a possible side-effect of the chemotherapy was sterility, saw the birth of his daughter Sophie on May 25.“I’d been rushing to get home because the Sears guy had to fix the fridge,” said Isaac, beaming. “She was really healthy and beautiful. That was a good day. It was a triumphant day.”

Isaac’s first venture into film-making, “My Left Hand” was directed and produced by him and edited by another Seattle native, Stephen Sadis. The film has been submitted in the documentary category at local and national film festivals, including the recent Seattle True and Independent Film Festival.