We often live our lives as events unfold, with these events either being a result of choice or not. That is a stunningly simple statement regarding the human condition that is not fully justified, however, it also speaks to how we interact with other people. When thinking about Christopher Burke’s For Love & Life: No Ordinary Campaign, it would be dismissive to not consider the audience as a part of the experience.
First, though is the documentary’s subject(s) – plural – namely for Brian Wallach and his wife, Sandra Abrevaya, and their courageous effort to face Congress in the hopes that legislation could be passed to combat the terminability of ALS, more commonly known as Lou Gehrig’s disease and the massive red tape in a cocktail of medicines held up by the Food and Drug Administration, the lack of funding for research and the advancement of a cure.
Brian, a bright soul from Chicago, who served as a legal campaign expert on several presidential campaigns and was diagnosed with ALS, had never faced a Congressional testimony in his career. Until now.
Burke centers the documentary on Brian’s and Sandra’s efforts, and through the marked degeneration of his motor neurons, he continues the fight to get drugs either approved or beyond the early testing phases. Brian continues to do so despite his condition. Brian is well-spoken and articulate, and Sandra is equally so.
Other voices, either those who have been diagnosed with ALS or are supporters of the efforts, are interviewed as Brian constantly speaks in front of ALS support groups, needing the funding and legislation to progress the necessary agenda forward; For Love & Life: No Ordinary Campaign, the effort speaks volumes, not just for the opportunity to improve the quality of lives who are affected, but for the opportunity to learn more about the disease and the process to move congress forward.
A particularly salient point that Burke focused on was Brian’s conversations with congressional delegates directly. To see the faces of those in power, entrusted with the responsibility of making decisions, and the ultimately quick action that normally does not happen was awe-inspiring.
Make no mistake that For Love & Life: No Ordinary Campaign is a difficult, rewarding watch. For those who are directly afflicted by ALS and their family members; in Brian and Sandra’s case, they not only have young kids at home, but Sandra is Brian’s caregiver. The stress they experience in the documentary cannot equate to what happens off camera, but it is enough to support the initiative to provide better care, to arm pharmaceutical companies and the FDA to provide solutions to either stop the disease’s progression in its tracks or at the very least, to slow it down, thus improving people’s lives.
The power of For Love & Life: No Ordinary Campaign reached even higher for this critic. Reflecting on the screening experience, with those who support ALS efforts like Brian and those who are afflicted by its ravaging effects, the need for further research to better understand its effects on the human body as well as the lives around us, was equally as moving.
For Love & Life: No Ordinary Campaign streams on Prime Video starting May 28th.
Last year, my 68-year-old partner was diagnosed with Lou Gehrig’s disease also known as ALS. Speaking and swallowing were two of his challenges. His collapse was swift and catastrophic, and neither the riluzole nor the medical staff did much to aid him. He would not have survived if our primary care physician hadn’t given him attentive care and attention, as the hospital center didn’t provide any psychological support. His fall was abrupt and catastrophic. His hands and legs gave way to weakness in his arms. This year our family physician suggested using vine health centre . com ALS/MND treatment, which my husband has been receiving for a few months now. I’m delighted to say that the treatment greatly reduced and reversed his symptoms of ALS, he no longer requires a feeding tube, sleeps soundly, works out frequently, and is now very active. In the hopes that it could be useful, I thought I would relate my husband’s tale; in the end, you have to do what suits you the best.