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Amputee Major 
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TITLE |
Promises in the Dark (1979) |
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DISABILITY |
Cancer
Amputee |
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NOTES |
A 17 year
old girl, Buffy (Elizabeth), breaks her leg and it is |
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discovered
she has a malignant tumour. Osteogenic |
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There is
shown the detailed medical procedure and she has |
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her leg
amputated above the knee. |
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A woman
doctor (Mason) was against this and the girl wants |
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her to be
her attending physician. Buffy has chemo but the |
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outlook is
not good. She is a outgoing and questioning young |
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She goes
home on a pair of crutches and eventually goes |
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back to
school. There she sits next to a guy in a wheelchair. |
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But she
doesn't last long at school. |
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While her
father is quite accepting of the situation her mother |
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is
constantly looking for new treatments. Even though her |
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doctor is
recommending experimental drugs. |
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Buffy begins
to deteriorate, has a nurse at home and then is |
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back in
hospital. She has a cardiac arrest and is kept alive on a respirator
at home. She has already indicated that she |
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doesn't want
to be kept in this state and wants nature to |
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decide.
However her parents are against turning the machine |
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off. The Doc
goes to her house when parents are out and |
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This is a
superb piece of drama and an example to all those |
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people
making "disease of the week" TV films. There is a |
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detailed
picture of the young woman's condition and a subtle |
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portrayal of
a divorced woman doctor. Only the melodramatic |
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Notes
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