Neuro Note #3: "The Theory of Everything"

   I watched the film "The Theory of Everything" which is about Stephen Hawking, a famous physicist, and his diagnosis of ALS, Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis, more commonly known as Lou Gehrig's disease. The film shows what his life was like after he was diagnosed with ALS, along with his wife's experience. Shortly after his diagnosis he married Jane Wilde, with the expectation that caring for Stephen Hawking would be hard, but also only last for a couple of years due to the short life expectancy associated with ALS. Stephen Hawking however far surpassed the average life expectancy of 2 years and lived for over 50 years with ALS. This story gives an interesting perspective on how it can be just as much of a hardship for someone to live so long with ALS as it is for them to die quickly of ALS. Throughout the film the viewer can see how difficult it is for Jane to be a full-time caregiver to her husband as well as her children. I think this film also does a great job of showing how tragic it is for someone to suffer with such a debilitating physical disease and to still have the mind so intact. Overall the film greatly displays the trials ALS can place on a family and really show how devastating the effects of the disease are.

   I chose to look at this film because I have watched it before in the context of entertainment and now that I am taking a neuro class I thought it would be interesting to watch it with a greater emphasis on understanding the disease. As a future occupational therapist I think it is important to watch films and documentaries about people with these various diseases that we may see in our practice because it helps to see what a person's life is like outside of the walls of the clinic. It helps to give insight into their daily world and the world of the families as well, which is sometimes hard to fully grasp and understand through just a series of questions. I would recommend others watch this film because it shows a unique side of ALS where you can see a longterm struggle with a disease which typically comes to a fairly rapid end. I also think it is a good film because it does provide some background information about ALS which helps with the general understanding of what the progression of the disease looks like. Overall "The Theory of Everything" is a heartbreaking film to watch, but Stephen Hawking's story is definitely one worth knowing.