Neuro note 3- Trans Fatty Lives

Recently I watched the documentary Trans Fatty Lives. This is a documentary that can be found on Netflix about a man, Patrick O’ Brian, who shares his experience from the date of his diagnosis to years later in the late stages of Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS). 

I chose this documentary to watch because it seemed very different than what you would expect someone with ALS to act like. You normally picture someone who is sad, or doesn’t do much because of their disease. Patrick was quite the opposite of this expectation. He was an internet sensation for his very different and unusual videos, where he went by the name Trans Fatty. He never let ALS get him down. He even referred to it as a good thing at times. He said it strengthened his journey to look within himself. He still managed to engage in many activities and maintain relationships. Patrick even had a girlfriend and conceived a child a few years after his diagnosis.

Something said in the documentary that really hit home with me was “ALS is not incurable, it’s underfunded”. Patrick was so creative he was able to maintain his life style for much longer than expected. I learned that as OTs we should provide the creative thinking to those who need it so they can maintain their lifestyle regardless of the diagnosis. This reminded me that we are not defined by our disabilities. I hope that as a future OT I remember this while in practice. I want to not only believe in my clients capabilities, but I also want them to be inspired and believe that they can find a positive with every negative, just as Patrick was able to do.

This documentary is fairly explicit so I urge you to keep that in mind, but I think the overall message is worth a little profanity. Because in Patrick’s case, it’s part of who he is.