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Father’s Day is a bittersweet holiday for Melissa Pihos.

The UNCG grad student and daughter of NFL Hall of Famer Pete Pihos has watched her father struggle with Alzheimer’s Disease and front lobal dementia for the past eight years.

This year, during a film class, she decided to create a short documentary about her father’s life –– then and now –– and how it intertwines with her own. The film, “Dear Dad,” recently won the Western North Carolina Achievement Award and placed third at the Twin Rivers Media Festival in Asheville. Melissa Pihos says she appreciates the recognition for the film, especially since it’s her first, but winning awards wasn’t her intent.

“I wanted to honor him because I appreciate all he’s done for me. He made me the person I am,” says Pihos, who grew up in Winston-Salem, but now lives in Greensboro. “I really didn’t expect to get an award for it, and it’s really kind of exciting.”

The film explores the effects of Alzheimer’s by juxtaposing photos and footage of her father from his days as a player for the Philadelphia Eagles, during the late 1940s to mid-1950s, with images of him today. But it’s the relationship between Pihos and her father –– illustrated through pictures and letters, most notably one written by her father after her parents’ divorce –– that proved especially poignant for the filmmaker and her audiences.

“It was hard, yet it was helpful for me to do it because it gave me some sort of closure,” Pihos said. “Every time I watch it, I cry. The end part is the closing of my letter (to him). And when I was recording it, I got a little choked up in the sound booth, and I just left that in. That part always seems to get to people.”

The film was screened at the Asheville festival last month, and Pihos hopes to show it in Greensboro in the future, possibly during the fall semester. The documentary serves as a cathartic expression of her love and sorrow for her father, but she realizes it could also be a lesson for others going through similar situations.

“No matter what someone’s going through, even if they’re sick and have a really bad disease, you can still honor them and realize what they used to be,” she says.

“Some people have issues with their parents and stuff like that when they go through divorce, and you just have to let it go because something bad could happen. And I just want to remind people go visit their loved ones and stay in contact, even if they’ve had problems. You just never know what will happen.”

Pihos hasn’t shown the film to her father yet, but plans to on Father’s Day. She’s unsure of how he’ll react.

“I’m worried that it will sadden him if he knows what’s going on, but then again, he might really like it,” she says. “I want him to see I’m still proud of him even though he’s sick, and can’t walk anymore, or tell me he loves me. And I just wanted to let him know how I felt about him.”

Contact Jennifer Bringle at jenniferbringle@gmail.com.

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