FILMMAKER | SPEAKER | AUTHOR
Book Event Proposal for
Book Stores and Libraries
Touched by Hannah (Memoir)
A man with cancer. His one-pound newborn. And their fight for life.
979-8-9996857-0-4
Why Chris and Hannah would be great guests?
Hannah's appearances are a hook! Fans and event attendees are absolutely intrigued and thrilled seeing the healthy, 16-year-old who was born at one-pound and nine ounces.
We enjoy collaborating as team payers to create a distinctive and outstanding event. We're known to draw a robust turnout. Our Book Launch drew 125 folks. We sold 45 books and signed close to 100.
Touched by Hannah Synopsis
When a father's prostate cancer fight collides with his one-pound preemie's fight for life—a gripping medical memoir of faith and resilience during an unimaginable family crisis.
What started with a chance encounter at Whole Foods blossomed into a love soon facing the ultimate test.
Chris Hennessy received an aggressive prostate cancer diagnosis at age 52. After three years of fertility struggles, he and his wife Betsy had finally conceived Hannah, only to face his sudden diagnosis and radical prostatectomy cancer surgery. Then shockingly, Hannah arrived at 26 weeks, weighing less than a quart of milk.
Nothing prepared them for the relentless dual battle: Chris enduring life-threatening post-surgical complications while watching his one-pound, nine-ounce daughter cling to life in her NICU incubator.
Wires connected her to machines, bandages wrapped her tiny limbs, but his giant finger remained clasped in her micro-preemie grip as he sang improvised songs—"She's my little banana. My little Hannah banana. I love her, I need her"—and whispered prayers.
This transcends typical medical crisis memoirs—it's an inspirational testament to marriage forged in crisis. Chris reveals the hidden world of NICU life through agonizing decisions, small victories, and profound connections forged in hospital hallways.
Touched by Hannah is an extraordinary tale of struggle and grace that provides a roadmap for anyone facing life's most significant challenges. It demonstrates how we can choose positivity over despair, draw strength from prayer, and discover that hope and laughter are our greatest guides to healing.
About Chris Hennessy
An award-winning filmmaker, author, and speaker whose creative output has only intensified since his 2020 stage IV prostate cancer diagnosis. A member of California Writers Club, Sacramento and Elk Grove Writers Guild, he's a Rice University graduate who spent nearly three decades (1990-2018) at the forefront of the San Francisco Bay Area independent filmmaking scene, producing over 1,500 professional films for clients including Google, eBay, Office Max, Deloitte, The American Cancer Society, and the SF 49ers.
Since retiring from filmmaking in 2018, Hennessy has achieved remarkable success across multiple platforms. His Hennflix YouTube channel has garnered 4.2 million views. His monthly HennSchtick newsletter on Substack delivers raw, personal essays blending humor and unflinching honesty.
Hennessy's television series Yolo YoYo's won Best New TV Cable Series 2020 (Access Sacramento) and reached nearly 125,000 viewers on Facebook across twelve episodes aired on DCTV Channel 15 and Sacramento 18. His season two premiere, Miracles on College Street—a short documentary written, directed, and produced to promote Touched by Hannah—won the prestigious Film Heals award at the 2022 Manhattan Film Festival for using cinema to promote peace and inspiration. The film also earned top five Best Documentary at Manhattan and runner-up Best Episode West Coast at the 2022 ACM Western Region WAVE Cable TV Awards.
Chris accomplished marketing, promoting, selling and producing 1500 professional videos from 1990 until retiring in 2018.
Hennessy will market, promote, publicize each event on his social media (20,000), Facebook Groups, Hennschtick Substack Newsletter(1600 monthly readers), reach out to newspapers, radio, and TV news to recreate what he did for the Book Launch..
Please contact Chris Hennessy for more information and to book and event
Chris Hennessy
Author, Filmmaker, Speaker
408-568-9330