Cancer, community and a day in the life of a special boy named Ethan :: An I am Second Film Project.  

Help raise funds to market, distribute and translate Ethan's I am Second film.

Thanks to each of you who helped reach our initial $40,000 goal on Indiegogo to finish Ethan's I am Second Film.  You're incredible. 

What now? The original goal amount enables the fulfillment of Phase 1 - to complete Ethan’s film. This is a very big deal.

You’ve enabled us to now begin dreaming about Phase 2 - raising funds to promote and distribute the film after it launches this fall - more quickly than we anticipated.  Gifts given beyond what is needed to complete the film will be used to promote it, in hopes of fulfilling the ultimate goal: that millions will experience it.

We have a goal of raising an additional $20,000. These funds will be used to market, distribute and translate Ethan’s I am Second film. It will launch with Spanish subtitles, with other languages being added soon. We’re now working on the marketing plan to let as many people as possible hear about Ethan’s film. 

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"With the current treatment options our son's disease is not curable. Its complex genes are just too smart for us at this point. Our son is slipping from our grips. We're trying to get him to 14. We're trying to give him the best quality of life possible. Each day without pain is a gift, and we're trying to give him many more of those. We're trying to buy him more time so his six year old brother can always remember how amazing his big brother was."

Four years ago, Ethan Hallmark was just another kid baseball player. Now he’s a reluctant community icon. A beacon of hopefulness in the face of an impossible fight, heading into the bottom of the ninth. It’s not a position he chose to play, but he plays it anyway, with extraordinary bravery.

“We don't want to waste this cancer. I mean, he has it. And there's absolutely nothing this world can do to take it away. So the question is, ‘What are you going to do with it?’ So we choose to make the most out of every day and making the most out of every day is enjoying what days God gives.”  - Matt Hallmark

Ethan’s cancer appears to be winning, but that’s simply a matter of perspective. In all the ways that are meaningful to him, life is really just beginning. 

“Obviously I want to beat this disease. But I’m not going to be that sad if I don’t. I mean, Heaven is not a pretty good place, Heaven is a perfect place. Of course I want to live a long life, who doesn’t? I want to watch my sister and brothers go to middle school with me. Go to high school. Watch them graduate. Even I want to graduate. It’s not my plan though. It’s His plan. And His plan is perfect. So really in the end, I will win either way.”  - Ethan Hallmark

The Hallmarks and their small hometown of Midlothian, Texas, have forged a deep bond over the last four years, sharing equal measures of despair and optimism in an extraordinary relationship of mutual encouragement. Ethan doesn’t suffer alone and his family, friends, and community all receive more than they could ever hope for. They are the beneficiaries of his uncommon courage.

This project is about multiplying that influence. It’s about taking the story to the wider world and inviting millions into this remarkable community.

Please personally join the team and contribute to spreading this young man’s legacy to all who know the fear of loss within their lives. 

“I felt Him saying to me, ‘You’re about to go through the storm, and it's going to hurt. And the grief is going to be nearly as deep as the love you feel for this kid. But come back to Me, because I’m the only way you're going to get through this. The only way you're going to be able to walk the journey with this child.’ ”                              - Rachel Hallmark

The Film & The Funding

As a web based platform since inception, I Am Second has made meaningful impact attracting viewers online. The classic single-subject, “white chair films” are iconic and well known for their innovative approach to simple storytelling.

This project is unique.

Ethan’s story is bigger than one boy. It’s about a family and a community intertwined in something larger than life. It’s about a journey that millions can relate to…and millions deserve to see.

The ambition for this project is to take the film beyond online, in a short-form documentary feature format created for a broad audience.  

I Am Second has spent their typical film budget (and some extra) to capture the story in Ethan’s hometown. Now we need help. Additional filming, post production and promotional packaging for an approximately 20 minute finished product is estimated at $40,000. Funds not needed to finish the film will be used to promote and distribute the film.

Will you help us raise the funding to complete and share this story with millions?

#Ethan2ndFilm