*Personal Testimonials Sent in by Meniere’s Patients
Imagine not being able to move because everything around you is spinning so badly you can't tell if you are standing or lying down. Try to get through a day, a week, or a month with a continual, high-pitched ringing in your ear, or worse yet, losing your hearing altogether. Picture yourself walking down the street or driving a car, then suddenly collapsing. Envision losing your job or getting divorced because you are unable to participate in the day-to-day activities of your life. Would you be able to go through this without a support system because your friends, colleagues, and loved ones don't understand what it is like to live with the chronic, incurable, and debilitating illness known as  Meniere’s (men-years) disease? Meniere's is a vestibular disorder that significantly impairs daily living through violent bouts of vertigo, dramatic hearing loss, excruciatingly loud tinnitus, and painful ear pressure — leaving sufferers feeling isolated and abandoned. 
Often, as is the case with many 'invisible' illnesses, people can't understand why someone who looks healthy can be so incapacitated. Because of the lack of awareness and understanding of Meniere’s, patients are thrust into the role of educator — they must teach themselves, their families, and sometimes even their healthcare professionals about the disorder and how it impacts them. Unheard: The Ears of Meniere’s documentary is here to help. The documentary will bring Meniere’s into the public consciousness through personal testimonials from Meniere's warriors (including author/tech evangelist Guy Kawasaki and famed painter Vincent van Gogh) along with creative camera work and sound design that will simulate its symptoms so the audience directly experiences how physically debilitating the condition can be.
Neurotologists Dr. Sujana Chandrasekhar (Former President, American Otological Society) and Dr. Kevin Peng (The House Institute Foundation) will provide the most up-to-date medical information.
The producer-director of Unheard: The Ears of Meniere’s, a veteran film and television executive, was diagnosed with Meniere’s 11 years ago and is committed to developing a thoughtful documentary that will inform, entertain, and inspire others. To help support our independent production go to our Donate page.
To learn more about  Meniere's, scroll down to our  Partners  section.
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Guy Kawasaki Explains Why He Is Participating in the Documentary
Dr. Kevin Peng Discusses The Importance Of The Documentary

Film Synopsis

The room spins violently. The ground vanishes beneath your feet. A relentless buzzing fills your ears as painful pressure builds in your head. It strikes without warning — like a thief in the night, stealing your health. Life changes in an instant. But how? And why? Ménière’s Disease is a startling secret hiding in plain sight. This chronic, incurable vestibular disorder silently robs thousands of their ability to hear, stand, work, and connect with the world around them — forcing them into lives of isolation and unjust compromise. You can’t see it, and they can’t explain it. Unheard: The Ears of Ménière’s is a groundbreaking documentary that finally brings this invisible illness into the public eye. The film unravels the mystery of a condition that has quietly afflicted millions of people — from renowned painter Vincent van Gogh and astronaut Alan Shepard to actress Kristin Chenoweth and author Guy Kawasaki — yet remains largely unknown. Through intimate storytelling, immersive sound design, and disorienting visual effects that simulate symptoms like vertigo and tinnitus, Unheard pulls audiences inside the harrowing experience of those living with Ménière’s. It pieces together a complex medical and social puzzle, examining why awareness and research remain so scarce — and what it will take to change that. Follow the investigation into a disabling disease that has been unheard for far too long.

Documentary Team

Janine McGoldrick - Producer/Director
Janine is a producer of documentary films and podcasts. A veteran entertainment executive, she developed tactical promotional campaigns for film, television, and home entertainment. Most notably, as SVP at the independent film company Cohen Media Group (CMG), she led the awards campaign for the Academy Award®-winning film The Salesman. At CMG, she worked closely with the CEO, Marketing, Distribution, and Acquisition teams to provide counsel on release schedules, festival campaigns, and films targeted for procurement. Previously, Janine worked at HBO supervising publicity for the Consumer Marketing, Global Licensing, and Home Entertainment divisions. A gifted project manager, McGoldrick has worked with numerous studios, including Universal Pictures, Artisan Entertainment, Lionsgate, BBC, Hart-Sharp, New Line, and the NY International Children’s Film Festival, to help launch some of the most exciting releases in entertainment. She is a member of The National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (Emmys) and NY Women in Film & Television. Janine was diagnosed with  Meniere’s disease 11 years ago.
Giovanna Aguilar – Consulting Producer
Giovanna Aguilar is a Bilingual (Spanish) award-winning multimedia creator and filmmaker who works on documentaries and narratives celebrating the human spirit's tenacity to triumph over adversity. She is developing EPIC Women In Sports, a docuseries she directed in 2023. Her producing credits include When We Were Shuttle, a PBS documentary exploring what the Shuttle Program meant to the exceptional men and women who worked behind the scenes to help make it fly, and When We Were Apollo (W3A), the Emmy® Award-winning Best Historical documentary exploring the enduring impact of the Apollo Space Program. She is a member of New York Women in Film & TV, served as the Public Relations Chair (2010-2011) of the New York Chapter of the National Association of Latino Independent Producers (NALIP), and is the current Vice President of the Cliffside Park Arts Association, NJ.
Adriana Serrato - Director of Photography
Adriana Serrato is a Director of Photography who has worked on feature films, documentaries, music videos, and commercials ranging across multiple genres, including Children of God, In the Light of the Moon, Murdered and Missing in Montana, and Represent Justice. Her work has received recognition and excellence awards from the California Film Award, Ouchy Film Awards, Roma Cinema DOC, and European Cinematography Award.

Partner Organizations

For more information on Meniere's Disease, please visit some of our partner organizations: