Me Before You (Neuro Note 3)

I recently got the chance to watch a movie titled Me Before You, which is focused around a guy named Will that has sustained a Spinal Cord Injury two years prior. He now lives very well off with his parents in a fully adapted downstairs suite. He has a nurse named Nathan that spends most of the day with him and helps with all of his daily tasks, only leaving to check on the other patients he works with in the community. A young women named Louisa (Lou), had recently been fired from her restaurant job and needed another job desperately to help her family pay the bills. While she was searching, she found an add that was posted by Will's mom for a caregiver and companionship for a disabled man. She applied right away, got the job, and then spent 8 AM-5 PM Monday thru Saturday with Will. At first, Will was extremely rude and did not want anything to do with Lou because of his severe depression about no longer being able to live his old, amazing life he loved so much. However, their relationships starts to grow and they begin to get closer. However, one day Lou found out that Will had given his parents 6 months and then he was going to check in to a place called Dignitas in Switzerland for assisted suicide. Lou is so upset and his determined to show Will that his life is worth living. They got to a horse race, a Mozart concert, Will's ex-girlfriend's wedding and an all inclusive beach vacation. But in the end, Will still decides that assisted suicide is the best decision for him. He had fallen in love with Lou but he did not want her to miss out on life, regret her decision, or miss out on things in her life that someone else could give her. In the end, Will loved his old life too much, and did not want to live the new one he had.

Throughout the movie we learned more and more about all of the challenges that affect people who have a SCI. Will is a quadraplegic and sustained his injury about chest level, from what Nathan says, which I would say he has a C7-C8 injury. He has no use of his legs and limited movement of his arms and movement in only one index finger and thumb. He uses those fingers to steer his powered wheelchair which also has a screen attached with multiple options and commands. He is completely dependent on someone else for most all other ADL's including eating, going to the bathroom and his personal hygene. Will experiences autonomic dysreflexia and fights with pneumonia twice within the movie, and Nathan has to explain to Lou that Will does not sweat like us and it is important to monitor his temperature and vital signs regularly. The topic of SCI and this movie were interesting to me because there is so much I didn't know about SCI before our class and I think it is so interesting to learn about. I also think OT's can be a vital part of someone's life after the experience of a SCI. We could help them love their new normal and give them purpose in their new yet different life. I fully recommend this movie to everyone but especially my fellow classmates. It is extremely informative about SCI and the struggles that come with that physically, emotionally and mentally which is what OT is all about!

Rosenfelt, K. (Producer), Owen, A. (Producer), & Sharrock T. (Director). (2016). Me Before You [Motion Picture]. United Kingdom: Warner Bros. Picture