Life According to Sam
I went to a free screening of the documentary "Life According to Sam" today and this is just my reflection.
First, I've been meaning to see this film since I first missed it at Sundance last year. I knew the premise but after hearing the NPR interview with the producers and Sam's mom, I knew I had to see it.
The film is about a boy (Sam) who has progeria (a rare genetic disease that accelerates the aging process). When Sam was first diagnosed 15 years ago, his parents (two doctors themselves) were told that he would have about 13 years of life. There was no ongoing research into the disease since it was so rare and there were no drug treatments specifically for this disease. Instead of accepting the situation, Sam's parents decided to do something about it. They organized a progeria foundation, raised millions of dollars, and his mom (and MD/PhD) started researching drugs to treat the disease. They successfully performed a clinical trail and are now applying for FDA approval to use their drug to treat progeria.
While this is an amazing story, what struck me is how inspiring their family is. Sam himself acts as a wise teenager. He has definitely seem more then his fair share of death and disease but he starts the film by telling us that he doesn't want us to feel sorry for him. Throughout the film, you get to know him beyond his disease,...which I guess was the point. He likes legos, he plans to go to Brown University, he wants to be in a marching band and his family doesn't hold him back. They accept him for who he is but doesn't accept the limitations of his disease. As I learn more and more about the horrors of of the world; sex trafficking, rare diseases, wars, etc, I am beginning to think that our time on this earth doesn't really matter. It is the quality of that time that does and that quality is defined by loving, caring, and giving back. I hope I will continue to remember these stories as I become a doctor.
First, I've been meaning to see this film since I first missed it at Sundance last year. I knew the premise but after hearing the NPR interview with the producers and Sam's mom, I knew I had to see it.
The film is about a boy (Sam) who has progeria (a rare genetic disease that accelerates the aging process). When Sam was first diagnosed 15 years ago, his parents (two doctors themselves) were told that he would have about 13 years of life. There was no ongoing research into the disease since it was so rare and there were no drug treatments specifically for this disease. Instead of accepting the situation, Sam's parents decided to do something about it. They organized a progeria foundation, raised millions of dollars, and his mom (and MD/PhD) started researching drugs to treat the disease. They successfully performed a clinical trail and are now applying for FDA approval to use their drug to treat progeria.
While this is an amazing story, what struck me is how inspiring their family is. Sam himself acts as a wise teenager. He has definitely seem more then his fair share of death and disease but he starts the film by telling us that he doesn't want us to feel sorry for him. Throughout the film, you get to know him beyond his disease,...which I guess was the point. He likes legos, he plans to go to Brown University, he wants to be in a marching band and his family doesn't hold him back. They accept him for who he is but doesn't accept the limitations of his disease. As I learn more and more about the horrors of of the world; sex trafficking, rare diseases, wars, etc, I am beginning to think that our time on this earth doesn't really matter. It is the quality of that time that does and that quality is defined by loving, caring, and giving back. I hope I will continue to remember these stories as I become a doctor.
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