NeuroNote #1

For my first Neuro-Note I decided to watch the documentary Transfatty Lives and boy was it eye-opening. The documentary is about a 30 year old man named Patrick O’Brien, who has just been diagnosed with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS). This film did an incredible job portraying every single aspect of what living with ALS is actually like. Before his diagnosis Patrick was a DJ in New York City, an internet personality, as well as a filmmaker. From what it seemed Patrick was the life of the party just about wherever he went. He was in the process of shooting a film when he was diagnosed with ALS and decided to turn the cameras to portray what his life would become.

This film truly made me think about how I would handle or approach coming to terms with something like ALS. I do know that there is no way I would be able to remain as happy and as upbeat as Patrick did, nor could I continue to make everyone around me continue to smile the way he did. His story was so inspirational, not only to me but hundreds and hundreds of people across the country who followed his journey. Not only did this film show us what life looks like with ALS, but it showed us what everyone around Patrick experienced as well.

Throughout the film Patrick made references to things known about ALS to kind of portray what the disease is and what it does and how it progresses etc.. Once I completed the documentary I decided to google some other facts about ALS and here are a few things I found:

·      ALS is a disorder that affects the function of nerves and muscles. Based on U.S. population studies, a little over 6,000 people in the U.S. are diagnosed with ALS each year.

·      Most people who develop ALS are between the ages of 40 and 70, with an average age of 55 at the time of diagnosis. However, cases of the disease do occur in persons in their twenties and thirties.

·      Half of all people affected with ALS live at least three or more years after diagnosis. Twenty percent live five years or more; up to ten percent will live more than ten years.

·      Once ALS starts, it almost always progresses, eventually taking away the ability to walk, dress, write, speak, swallow, and breathe and shortening the life span.

• Military veterans are approximately twice as likely to develop ALS.

These are just a few interesting facts I thought would be beneficial to share. I choose this activity because I truly enjoy watching documentaries especially those that have a powerful message. I am also a sucker when it comes to something emotional, so it’s easy to assume I shed a few tears while watching this film. I also choose this specific documentary because I don’t believe I’ve ever seen first-hand how ALS impacts a person’s life. I would highly recommend this documentary and I plan on letting others know about Patricks story.