Life, Values & Legacy: Our Chat with Grace Wethor of Los Angeles

Grace Wethor shared their story and experiences with us recently and you can find our conversation below.

Good morning Grace, it’s such a great way to kick off the day – I think our readers will love hearing your stories, experiences and about how you think about life and work. Let’s jump right in? What is a normal day like for you right now?
Right now I’m balancing finishing post-production on my latest movie while writing my new book. It’s a hectic time, but I honestly love getting to jump between both worlds.

Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
At 13 years old, I was given six months to live due to an inoperable brain tumor. That diagnosis completely reshaped my life, and I began living every day as if it were my last because I truly didn’t know when that would be. Ten years later, against all odds, I’m still fighting. In that time, I’ve built a career as a bestselling author, filmmaker, CEO of GRAE Entertainment, and advocate working on pediatric health legislation. I fell in love with storytelling while watching movies in the hospital, and now I’m committed to giving back to the world what stories once gave to me across every medium I can.

Amazing, so let’s take a moment to go back in time. Who were you before the world told you who you had to be?
I think I was always a storyteller and a creative. As an only child, I spent a lot of time alone when I was younger. I filled that boredom with painting, writing, music, and making films. I spent hours in my basement experimenting with different mediums. I think that quiet time to discover who I was at a young age, without much noise, was integral to shaping who I am today.

Do you remember a time someone truly listened to you?
When I was diagnosed, my mom asked me what I wanted to do with whatever time I had left. I told her I wanted to be in LA, surrounded by creativity and storytelling. She listened to me, said yes, and for that I’ll forever be grateful.

Sure, so let’s go deeper into your values and how you think. What’s a belief or project you’re committed to, no matter how long it takes?
I truly believe film is an incredible tool for advocacy and could transform the brain cancer community. It’s definitely harder to get films made that have “sad” stories behind them, but film has the ability to elevate issues and immerse an audience in experiences they may never encounter otherwise. I think if we could create mainstream movies about the issues I see in the healthcare world every day, especially in pediatric brain cancer, we could drive real change and bring us closer to a cure much faster.

Thank you so much for all of your openness so far. Maybe we can close with a future oriented question. Are you doing what you were born to do—or what you were told to do?
I think I’m absolutely doing what I was born to do, and that’s one of the main reasons I’m grateful for the health experience I went through. When something like that happens to you, your whole life is stripped away in an instant. Suddenly, everything you thought was so important doesn’t matter at all. You start over completely, which allowed me to rebuild the life I probably always should have been living, and not to be afraid to at least try for my goals.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.thegracewethor.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/gracewethor/?hl=en

Image Credits
Tiffany Dion & Amanda Mickwee via GRAE Entertainment