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ABOUT AUTHOR'S
IT'S
ALL
In
Your
HEAD
For decades, countless individuals have heard the same phrase from doctors, family, and society: “It’s all in your head.” Behind those words lies a devastating truth an invisible and often misdiagnosed condition called Porphyria, a genetic disorder that attacks the nervous system and causes unimaginable physical and psychological pain.
It’s All in Your Head is a deeply human and dramatic documentary that follows the lives of several people who have endured years even decades of confusion, stigma, and suffering before finally discovering the truth about their illness.
Through intimate interviews, emotional testimonies, and medical insights, the film reveals the resilience of those who refused to give up on finding answers. From emergency rooms where patients were told they were imagining their pain, to the laboratories of doctors who refused to stop searching for the cause, this documentary uncovers the systemic failure of recognition surrounding Porphyria.
It highlights both the tragedy of misdiagnosis and the triumph of awareness and science, as new treatments and information finally bring hope to those once lost in the shadows. Interweaving personal stories, expert interviews, and real medical footage, the ocumentary captures the haunting yet inspiring reality of those who live with Porphyria. Each story becomes a testimony to courage to the power of knowledge, community, and persistence against a medical system that too often fails to see the unseen. It’s All in Your Head is not just a documentary about illness it is a call to awareness, compassion, and understanding. It challenges the viewer to look beyond appearances and believe in the lived experiences of others, showing that sometimes, what’s dismissed as “mental” can, in fact, be deeply physical and painfully real.
Today, thanks to medical advances, Porphyria is treatable and better understood. Yet, the scars of the past remain scars of lost love, broken families, and silenced voices. This is not only a story of disease. It is a romance, a tragedy, and a testament to survival. From the tender love to the generations of suffering that followed, Shadows of Light unveils the cost of ignorance and the power of science, love, and truth to finally break a cycle of despair.
Book Synopsis
In 1917, amidst the chaos of the First World War, a weary military doctor, Dr. Olive McGill, finds himself broken by the endless suffering around him. On a Red Cross ship, he meets Elizabeth, a compassionate nurse whose presence brings him a fleeting glimpse of peace. What begins as solace in a time of war blossoms into a passionate love. But duty calls him back to the battlefield, where the violence deepens his wounds not of the body, but of the soul.
When Olive and Elizabeth finally reunite and marry, it seems love will triumph. Yet, life has other plans. Elizabeth begins to suffer mysterious, excruciating attacks of pain, nausea, and hallucinations. With no answers from medicine at the time, she is labeled as “insane” and confined to an asylum. Her husband, lost in helplessness, sinks into morphine and alcohol, while their children are torn from their arms. Still, within the asylum walls, Elizabeth remains a quiet light caring for fellow patients even as her own health withers until her death in 1970.
The curse does not end there. Margarete, Elizabeth’s daughter, marries during World War II, clinging to the hope of a better future. But when the same cruel symptoms surface, history repeats. Misdiagnosed and misunderstood, she too is condemned to an asylum. In despair, she takes her own life.
It is only with Michael, Margarete’s son that the truth finally begins to emerge. Struggling with cancer and the weight of family tragedy, Michael uncovers the silent shadow haunting his bloodline: Porphyria a rare hereditary disease that had tormented his grandmother and mother in secrecy for decades, mistaken for madness. Unlike them, he lives to tell the story.
Today, thanks to medical advances, Porphyria is treatable and better understood. Yet, the scars of the past remain scars of lost love, broken families, and silenced voices.
This is not only a story of disease. It is a romance, a tragedy, and a testament to survival. From the tender love of Olive and Elizabeth to the generations of suffering that followed, Shadows of Light unveils the cost of ignorance and the power of science, love, and truth to finally break a cycle of despair.
The ending is not only heartbreaking it is hopeful. Michael, the survivor, carries within him the voices of the women who came before, ensuring their pain was not in vain.
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MICHALE C PERA
Michael C. Pera is the co-author of the book It’s All In Your Head, written alongside Hugo Stefano. The novel is based on the true story of their relatives who suffered from porphyria, a condition that went undiagnosed for years. From this work, the documentary It’s All In Your Head was created, featuring firsthand narration by individuals living with the diagnosis and giving voice to experiences long overlooked.
MICHAEL C PERA - BIOGRAPHY
Michael Pera carries the weight of a powerful family story. Both his grandmother and mother were tragicaly diagnosed as insane and confined to a sanatorium, their true condition misunderstood. Years later, when Michael began to show similar symptoms, doctors uncovered the truth: he was suffering from Porphyria, a rare and often misdiagnosed genetic disorder. Michael’s life took another dramatic turn when he faced and survived cancer.
Emerging stronger, he dedicated himself to understanding Porphyria and breaking the cycle of misdiagnosis that had haunted his family for generations. Through his determination, Michael not only uncovered the reality of his own condition but also safeguarded the health of the next generation, ensuring that his family’s story would not repeat itself. Michael Pera is set to release his powerful new novel Shadows of Light, inspired by the true story of his own ancestry.
The book traces a haunting family legacy marked by Porphyria, a rare hereditary disease long mistaken for madness. The saga begins in 1917, when war-weary Dr. Olive McGill finds love with nurse Elizabeth amid the chaos of World War I. Their passion endures tragedy as Elizabeth succumbs to mysterious symptoms and is wrongly confined to an asylum.
Her daughter Margarete suffers the same fate during World War II, ending her life in despair. Generations later, Michael uncovers the hidden truth that his family’s torment was rooted in genetics, not insanity. Struggling with his own illness, he transforms pain into purpose through storytelling. Shadows of Light is a sweeping tale of love, loss, and scientific revelation a tribute to those silenced by ignorance and a testament to human resilience
HUGO STEFANO
Hugo Stefano is an author, musician, and screenwriter with a strong creative presence at MYTH Entertainment LLC, where he has contributed to the development of multiple projects across literary, documentary, and screen media. His work is defined by a disciplined narrative approach and a commitment to emotionally grounded storytelling.
He is the creator and principal developer of the documentary It’s All in Your Head, a project that has made a significant impact by bringing awareness to porphyria through an honest and human-centered lens. Hugo’s creative leadership and storytelling vision were instrumental in shaping the documentary’s tone, structure, and message, reinforcing MYTH Entertainment’s mission to produce meaningful and socially relevant content.
HUGO STEFANO - BIOGRAPHY
Hugo Stefano is the author and creative force behind It’s All in Your Head, a powerful work that brings visibility to a disease long misunderstood and frequently overlooked. He wrote the novelization of the story originally told by Michael C. Pera, transforming a deeply personal family history into a compelling dramatic narrative. The novel recounts the prolonged suffering of multiple generations who lived for years without knowing they were affected by porphyria, enduring physical pain, emotional trauma, and medical uncertainty in silence.
As the storyliner and producer of the documentary adaptation, Hugo Stefano played a central role in shaping the project’s vision and emotional integrity. Through carefully conducted interviews with participants and survivors, he sought to convey not only their individual experiences, but also the broader reality faced by countless families impacted by porphyria without diagnosis or understanding. His approach emphasizes truth, empathy, and education giving voice to suffering that has too often been dismissed or misunderstood.
A multidisciplinary artist, Hugo Stefano is an accomplished author, musician, storyliner, and screenwriter. His narrative sensibility and musical background inform a distinctive storytelling style that blends emotional depth with clarity and purpose. His narration was essential to the documentary’s production, serving as the connective tissue that guides audiences through complex medical realities while maintaining a deeply human perspective.
Through It’s All in Your Head, Hugo Stefano reaffirms his commitment to socially relevant storytelling using art as a vehicle for awareness, compassion, and change, and ensuring that stories like Michael C. Pera’s are not only heard, but remembered.