NEW BERLIN — Beneath the falling leaves of a state forest in southeastern Wisconsin, cameras are rolling on a story that began long before production ever started — inside a New Berlin home, with a life-changing diagnosis.
Watch: New Berlin couple turns cancer journey into film to help others feel less alone
Karen and Eric Strelitzer are the husband-and-wife team behind One With Nature, a new independent film now shooting in Wisconsin.
The fictional story follows an ultramarathon runner battling through the woods after a serious injury — but the foundation of the script is rooted in real life.
“It just poured out of me from a lot of real-life experience,” said writer and director Eric Strelitzer.
That real-life experience belongs to Karen. Her journey became the true inspiration behind the film.
In 2020, she was diagnosed with a hereditary form of stomach cancer tied to the CDH1 gene mutation. She was 37, and the recommended treatment was a total gastrectomy — the complete removal of her stomach.
“When I got the genetic results back, it didn’t surprise me that I was positive, but at the same time, stomach removal was the biggest recommended treatment,” she said. “That was crushing.”
Karen underwent surgery that year while raising two young children. She said few people were talking publicly about this type of cancer or the preventive surgery that often comes with it.
“It does seem weird when you tell people I don’t have a stomach,” she said. “Five years ago, no one talked about it. There weren’t many options for treatment.”
The couple says that silence is part of what pushed them to turn their experience into a story others could see.
“It evolved from a running story into something more moving,” Eric said. “We really wanted to show the advocacy side of it.”
Today, Karen is a triathlete and long-distance runner. Many of the emotional and physical moments written into the film mirror her post-surgery journey.
“Even as the actress is doing certain things, I’m getting emotional because it feels like I’m watching myself,” she said.
For Eric, the film is more than a creative project — it’s deeply personal.
“I consider it my love letter to my wife,” he said. “She lived through five years of courage, determination and hope.”
The couple hopes One With Nature reaches people who may not otherwise hear about stomach cancer risk, early testing or genetic screening.
“If it impacts one person, that’s all we care about,” Karen said. “I definitely recommend genetic testing. I’m a huge advocate because it saved my life.”
The couple hopes to premiere the film in November 2026 during Stomach Cancer Awareness Month.
“We’re really hoping we can use this film to make an impact in the community,” she said.
For more information on the film or to donate, you can visit their Facebook.
The Strelitzers have also partnered with two stomach cancer organizations. You can learn more or donate below:
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