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TransFatty Lives

You can listen and research about the way someone with a disease might live, but you never truly understand what their life is like until you witness it firsthand.  This is exactly what happened to me after watching "TransFatty Lives," a documentary about Patrick O'Brien's life after being diagnosed with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS).  Being a movie producer, O'Brien felt it necessary to capture every moment of his life from then on -- not leaving anything out.  It was like I was able to personally witness the progression of his fight with ALS through the film.  I watched as his functioning slowly but surely left his body.  I watched as the telltale signs of his condition progressed throughout his body.  I watched him, and three other grown men, struggle to get him in the shower.  It was real.  It was heartbreaking.  It was him.  The incredible part to witness was his continual effort to be himself.  Even though he admittedly struggled with depression, he still found ways to tease with his family.  Despite his horrible diagnosis he said he has "become a better person for it I believe."  His whole outlook focused on staying positive, and you could tell his personality was contagious as he could bring a smile to anyone who came across his path.

Aside from understanding a little bit more about ALS, one of my biggest takeaways from this film is just how important motivations are in any situation for any person.  Patrick's initial focus when dealing with his diagnosis was to enjoy life and have a good time.  After the birth of his son, Sean, Patrick found a new reason to keep fighting.  Every day from then on was an effort to show Sean the reality of what his dad was dealing with.  The doctors told Patrick he only had 2-5 years to live after his diagnosis in 2005, but Patrick found a reason to keep going and has lived double the life expectancy initially given him.  Even now, Patrick is finding new motivations through his desire to advocate and raise awareness about his condition.  Watching his film emotionally exhausted me as I saw the difficulty of being fully functional mentally and yet completely relying on a caretaker to change your bedpan.  Regardless, Patrick called ALS "a beautiful disease" because he realized that his fight with ALS not only made him a stronger person but also served to strengthen his relationship amongst his family.  Patrick talked about how things can become trivial when you are dealing with a disease like ALS and he learns to focus on the important parts of life and not the trivial ones.   This ideal is something that those with a condition and those without can learn from, and I am grateful to Patrick for his willingness to be open and vulnerable in order to reveal the truths behind life with ALS.




Oscar Crosby Films (Producer), & Patrick Sean O'Brien (Director). (2015). "TransFatty Lives" [Motion Picture]. (Available on Netflix).

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