Breathing Deeply: My Life With Cystic Fibrosis

Personally, I didn't care for the movie at all for several reasons. I've outlined 6 of them here.

1. Jill kept trying to change Jack into a guy she wanted him to be.

My thoughts: Look for someone who's compatible with what your ideals are. Don't be afraid to aim high.

2. Jack smoked.

My Thoughts: CFers are discouraged from being around smoke. Why subject yourself knowingly to this sort of harm?

3. She was deceptive about her CF and Jack called her on it. She reacted poorly. I believe Jack was in the right to be upset at her for not being up front about CF. After all, part of their manifesto was to always be honest.

My Thoughts:
It's up to the individual when and how to tell a significant other about having CF. Personally, I found that I had less heartache by telling people about my CF BEFORE dating them. That way I never had to worry about how the breaking the news to them would disrupt the emotional/romantic groundwork that had already been put in place.

4. They lived together while dating.

My Thoughts:
Statistically speaking, couples who cohabitate (aka shack up) have a much higher risk of splitting up or never marrying at all.
This is because there is no formal commitment. The odds are dramatically higher for unplanned pregnancy, a brutal break up or abuse in situations where couples are living together apart from marriage. Also, guys don't truly respect a woman who will live with them before marriage. They see it as an opportunity for sex without commitment. I highly recommend that you save sex and living together for marriage. It's worth it.

5. The underlying message of the movie seemed to be "do whatever you want as long as you're living it up." In other words, it's okay to be selfish if you have a life-threatening disease.

My thoughts: Philosophically speaking, I have never found true joy in simply "living it up" just because I think I'm entitled to it because I have CF. Living for the moment really isn't worth it. The thrills of living for the moment pale in comparison to the choices I've made that have long-term benefits. (For example, not harming my body with illicit substances.)

6. Who is the target audience?

My Thoughts: This is hardly a movie about generating knowledge about CF. It's got outdated information and procedures, and only touches momentarily on the actual effects of CF (when Jill's friend asks if she's a barfer--bulimic--she says she can't absorb food because of CF.) This isn't a story about a girl with CF. It's a story about a guy who is being challenged to break away from his predictable and safe routine and open up.

If you're looking for something to help explain CF to people, this isn't it. A better choice would be to either read Following Joey Home by Meg Woodson or Toothpick by K.E. Ethridge. This books deal a bit of a softer blow than some of the autobiographies that CFers these days are writing. They're a good starting place for people who are new to CF.