Last night, I attended a documentary screening of “Up For Air” in Washington, DC for Rare Disease Week (or #RareDC2017, #RareDiseaseDay).
It follows 53-year-old Jerry Cahill over the course of five years, documenting his health decline as he slowly loses lung function. When Jerry was born, those with cystic fibrosis had a life expectancy of around eight years old. While now it is nearly 40 years old, there is still no cure and the treatments are time-consuming and often painful (long-term steroids or antibiotics among them).
What is unique about this doc, is that Jerry is relatable on all levels. He lived his life pretty “normally” up until his CF progressed. He was almost a typical athletic, good looking, young professional, doing very well in his career when his disease put a stop to a lot of it. He is then forced to adjust to CF and it’s complexities, which really didn’t seem like a huge part of his life at that point.
Additionally, anyone with chronic illness can relate to the disruptions rare disease can cause.
The doc explores not only the harsh physical realities of cystic fibrosis and chronic illness, but also the psychological challenges of isolation, depression, personal relationships, professional life and more. This unique perspective and might I say, well-produced film, was inspiring, bittersweet and realistic.
This is a high-recommend for anyone suffering from rare disease. Check out the trailer below:
On top of it’s inspiring nature, this doc brings more awareness to exercise therapy for CF management; something we have been working with CysticLife for the past year. To check out more info on how exercise has helped other patients with CF, click here, here and here.
