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Gleason

Steve Gleason was a successful NFL player whose career highlight  occurred when he was playing with the New Orleans Saints in their first game in the city’s Superdrome exactly a year after Hurricane Katrina. Gleason made a spectacular pass which enabled the team to win this crucial  game which was a vital step in the recovery of all their after the intolerable devastation that they had survived, and it made the whole city feel good again. They called it ‘the rebirth’ of New Orleans, and Gleason was named as the hero of the day.  

A few years later in 2011 after he had just retired from playing professionally, Gleason then aged just 34 years old, was  diagnosed with ALS also known as Lou Gehrig disease, and told he had 2 -5 years to live.  Then 6 months  after that when he and Michelle his artist wife were still trying to come to terms with the reality of Gleason’s illness, they discovered that Michelle was pregnant with their first child.  This put more of an urgency as to how they should deal with their impending situation as their research had uncovered the fact that whilst Gleason would keep his cognitive functions for a while, however in a very short time he would lose all movement and speech. 

From the word go, it is obvious that Gleason is an irrepressible optimistic man who is extremely good natured and generous and he easily channeled all his energies into what he considered to be paramount for the future. To this end he started making a regular video record for his yet unborn son just in case he was still not around when the boy was older and he wanted to have a real conversation with him. He insisted to Michelle that they live life to the full even though it got increasingly difficult once the disease started to take its  hold.  Michele was a tower of strength but she soon couldn’t handle all the physical lifting when Gleason got weaker so she ‘persuaded’ their hunky neighbor Blair into being a full time caregiver with a simple threat ‘if you don't take the job I'll kick you in the balls!”

Gleason knew that he had this great support system that he could depend on but as he became aware of how tough it was on others and how expensive it was too, he persuaded Michelle's father to help them start a foundation to help other less fortunate ALS sufferers. The Gleason Foundation, with it’s defiant catch phrase ‘no more white flags’  was set up to finance special equipment in treatment centers and to be able to give special treats, like a surprise dream holiday, to others who simply couldn’t afford them.

The ever-present camera records not just the rapid decline in Gleason’s body, but also the highlights such as his sheer determination in conquering the sight talk machine now that he could no longer speak.  However even this remarkably strong man had his ‘off’ days  and some of the most heartbreaking moments are when he is at his lowest and he questions his wife's attitude to him and the process, and even his own purpose of still being around.  It takes an immense amount of bravery on both their parts to deal with this once healthy man becoming a mere shadow of his former self, but  it was even more courageous of both of them to allow these very intimate  scenes to be shown.

His old teammates treated him as a hero, and they not only erected a statue of his moment of glory in ‘the re-birth’ but they also got totally on board actively supporting the work of the Foundation. The only real fly in the ointment was Gleason’s own father who was a right-wing fundamentalist and at every single opportunity he had, he tried to impose his own unshakable faith on his son, which made for some very tense moments between the two of them. But Gleason’s own relationship with his son Rivers is exceptionally wonderful and full of so much love that it makes for a real highlight of the whole film.

The documentary directed by J Clay Tweel with its unparalleled unrestricted access to the family is a powerful piece of filmmaking of how this family unflinchingly deals with something which could have torn them apart, but which instead emboldens them into finding the strength to get even closer together.  It will probably be one of the most emotional and heartbreaking stories you will see all year, and be sure to have a large box of kleenex ready.

★★★★★★★★