Inspired by the book, Seeing Life Through a Different Lens, this docuseries is heartwarming and inspiring and follows the lives of seven BIPOC creatives with visual disabilities, hearing impairments, and chronic illnesses. Through their stories of resilience, community service, education, and nutrition, the series showcases their unwavering spirit and determination to overcome challenges, while shedding light on the impact on their mental health.
Retinoblastoma kills 7,000 young ones each year and blinds many more.
In developing countries like the U.S., the cure is over 96%, but most children experience moderate, severe, or complete vision loss. the mortality rate in Africa is 70%. In all cases of intraocular and extraocular retinoblastoma, there is a need for new therapies that are more effective and carry less risk of toxicity. The Bruckner test is a practical and easy test for detecting Retinoblastoma. This test assesses the fundus reflex through the pupil (red reflex) in both eyes simultaneously with a bright coaxial light produced with the direct ophthalmoscope. Globally, children, families, and survivors experience lifelong emotional trauma.
Due to the lack of tools for detection, thousands of children die around the world each year. The improvements we can achieve in life and vision survival remain unrealized due to unequal access to quality cancer care and professional development opportunities, the challenges rarity poses to research, and the divide between professional knowledge and lived experience.
Inspired by the book, Seeing Life Through a Different Lens, this docuseries is heartwarming and inspiring and follows the lives of six BIPOC creatives with visual disabilities, hearing impairments, and chronic illnesses. Through their stories of resilience, community service, education, and nutrition, the series showcases their unwavering spirit and determination to overcome challenges, while shedding light on the impact on their mental health.
The book, written by mom and daughter, explores the profound impact of childhood cancers and their secondary situations on mental health, emphasizing the crucial role of community support and holistic nutrition in the healing journey. The upcoming documentary series is slated to bring these inspiring stories to a broader audience, to foster understanding, empathy, and support for those affected.
As survivors of childhood cancer, they’ve transformed their adversities into strengths, proving that life’s most difficult challenges can foster creativity, resilience, and success. Beyond the individual stories, the series also explores how community support and holistic nutrition can play a crucial role in the healing process. It demonstrates the power of collective resilience and the healing properties of proper nutrition.
About the Director/Producer:
Zaakirah (zaa-key-ra) Nayyar Muhammad (she/her), is a brand strategist, a retinoblastoma childhood eye cancer survivor, and a TEDx speaker. At 6 months old, a camera saved her life. At 9 months old, she was taken into surgery to have her right eye removed due to a rare childhood eye cancer tumor that was detected by a photo her mom took. Her hearing slowly began to decline as she got older, but her other three senses kicked in and are functioning well.
At age five her mom gifted her with her first camera. She received her first digital camera in middle school. Her first job while being a summer camp counselor was as the newsletter editor. By the time she attended technical high school, she studied commercial photography. She never strayed too far from her purpose in life. Later on, she moved to Washington D.C. to expand her education in professional photography and videography at Boston University’s Center for Digital Imaging Arts. She has produced and edited a dozen independent documentaries, virtual events and Public Service Announcements.
She has traveled to 10 countries so far. She took her professional camera on most of her out of country travels but Ghana, West Africa was the first time that others viewed her work as if they were on the trip and had traveled with her, due to the way she beautifully captures sceneries and personalities. She loves capturing the essence of humanity. As a people person and an empath, she wants her legacy to include the fact that she was able to see the good in you, help you live your best life, and inspire you to step outside of your comfort zone. She is the author of Seeing Life Through a Different Lens: A Survivor’s Memoir on Overcoming Adversity with Resilience. She also hosts and produces the podcast called See Life Different which has over 100 episodes.
Goal of the Documentary:
The documentary aims to shed light on the lives of visually impaired, healing-impaired, chronically ill, and black or Indigenous childhood cancer survivors. Zaakirah is seeking support to raise awareness and share stories. The project, in the making for five years, will feature interviews with survivors and incorporate animations to tell their stories. Contributions to the campaign come with perks such as shoutouts on the official website, early access to screenings, and opportunities to be involved in the production process. Zaakirah’s vision is to create a binge-worthy series accessible on popular platforms like Amazon, Tubi, and Netflix. The documentary series is expected to be finalized by December, with Zaakirah aiming to begin filming by September, coinciding with Childhood Cancer Awareness Month (September 2026) to begin filming and editing Spring 2026.
See Life Different Docuseries Deck by znayyar2010