Screening of Documentary Complicated
Accessibility for Screening: Wheelchair accessible, accessible seating available, neurodivergent-friendly (lower volume), assistive listening devices, open captions, live audio description, sensory space, staff available for support.
Accessibility for Panel and Networking: Wheelchair accessible, accessible seating available, neurodivergent-friendly (lower volume), assistive listening devices, American Sign Language/English interpreting, automated real time captioning on large screen, staff available for support.
Complicated tells the untold stories of children suffering from complex, invisible illness, marginalized by a medical system that fails to provide the care they desperately need. Shuffled between specialists, misdiagnosed, and often labeled with psychological disorders, these young patients fight for validation, respect and normalcy. The film exposes a dark side of pediatric medicine, where parents pushing for answers risk being accused of medically harming their children and even losing custody.
Filmed over seven years, this unflinching documentary explores the complicated journeys of young people with Ehlers-Danlos syndrome (EDS), a little-known connective tissue disorder that is far more common than most realize. Ranging from mild to life-threatening, EDS is often invisible, and the lack of research and awareness leads to medical gaslighting, where treatments are withheld, insurance is denied, and families are torn apart.
In a healthcare system under intense scrutiny, COMPLICATED pulls back the curtain on a hidden world of suffering and resilience. It highlights courageous young people fighting for their lives, mothers risking everything to protect them, and a system that too often turns a blind eye. Amid this struggle, a spark of hope emerges—as patients become their own advocates, researching potential tests and treatments that could change their lives, and possibly the future of medicine.
(2025, 85 min.)
Panel discussion on Ehlers-Danlos, 6:15 – 6:45 p.m.
Panelists will provide updates on the families in the documentary, explain exciting recent developments in diagnostics and treatment for Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome, and share about local resources.
Panelists:
Erin Daughtery RN, BSN is a pediatric medical professional, rare disease advocate, and a prominent documentary subject in the film Complicated.
Heather Purdin, MS,PT, CMPT is a Physical Therapist and the owner of Good Health Physical Therapy & Wellness in Portland, Oregon. She brings nearly three decades of clinical experience specializing in orthopedic and manual therapy, with particular expertise in hypermobility spectrum disorders (HSD) and Ehlers-Danlos syndromes (EDS).
Alena Guggenheim, N.D. is an Assistant Professor of Anesthesiology and Perioperative Medicine, School of Medicine at Oregon Health and Science University in Portland, OR. Dr. Guggenheim specializes in the care of children and adults with chronic pain and joint hypermobility disorders.
Sponsored by Oregon Area Ehlers-Danlos Society.
Masks are encouraged to keep our Ehlers-Danlos and other chronically ill visitors safe. Please see staff if you have any questions.