One of the Most Timely & Inspiring Stories of Human Potential Audiences Will See
RAMON RISING© is a documentary film for classroom use (projected 2019 release). It is the story of Ramon Resa’s journey from abandoned migrant farmworker boy to pediatrician. Ramon was 2 years old when given away by his mother to a farm working couple in Central Valley, California. He was raised as one of 15 children in a two-room house and lived in severe poverty, neglect and abuse. From early childhood on, Ramon was hired out to perform back-breaking farm labor with any earnings going to his so-called guardians.
RAMON RISING PREVIEW | Includes interviews with: Ramon Resa, MD, film subject, Dan Lowenstein, MD – Executive Vice Chancellor & Provost at UCSF, Professor and Vice Chairman in the UCSF Department of Neurology & Executive Producer, Diane Wagner.
Overcoming The Odds
It was his second grade teacher who explained to Ramon he didn’t have to be a farmworker for the rest of his life. She encouraged him to get a college education because with a degree he could choose any career he wanted. Upon hearing her words, Ramon felt hope for a better future for the first time in his life. He then set his sights on making it to college, not know what college was. His pilgrimage out of the fields was nearly ended by staggering adversity. Ramon had a speech impediment, suffered bouts of severe depression, including suicidal thoughts and faced racial discrimination in school. On top of this, he had to battle fierce opposition from his guardians who forbade him to go to college insisting he get a job after high school to help support them.
Revealing The Indomitable Human Spirit
Despite his Dickensian childhood and against all odds Ramon made it through college and medical school. When he received his license to practice medicine, Dr. Resa returned to the same area of Central Valley where he grew up and went to work as a pediatrician. For over 30 years he’s provided care for children (of migrant farm working families) like he once was. Dr. Resa’s living proof to his young patients that they too can make a better future for themselves. Audiences of all ages, ethnicities and backgrounds will come away from watching RAMON RISING believing, “If Dr. Resa was able to overcome everything he faced and become a doctor, then I too can make my life better!”
Changing the Narrative – Debunking Negative Myths & Stereotypes
Dr. Resa’s story is a potent antidote to today’s outbreak of xenophobia. It convincingly debunks negative myths and stereotypes about immigrants and their children who come to America seeking a better life. Dr. Resa puts a human face on the universal truth that every child, including an abandoned migrant farmworker boy with a speech impediment, no family, and zero resources has the potential to become a valuable, contributing member of our society.
Ramon’s story is the story of human potential, the unique personal potential that exists within us independently from any external source. It is also a story of hope and how we can keep it alive inside, even when there is no visible evidence that our dreams can come true … you are not limited by your age, your health, your relationships, or your finances nearly as much as your unwillingness to dream and persist … Ramon is a unique and gifted individual with an important place in history. His legacy will be felt for many generations, maybe even forever. | Jim Cathcart – Author of The Acorn Principle
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