Documenting A Disease

In September of 2002, Ben Byer was a 31-year-old actor and playwright living in Chicago, married with a young son, when he was diagnosed with the fatal neurodegenerative disease ALS, commonly known as Lou Gehrig’s disease. There’s no known cure for ALS, and 90 percent of those who get it die within five years.

The disease left his hands too weak to hold a pen. So Ben began keeping an audio and video diary, which soon turned into a documentary film project. He travelled the world, grasping for a cure to the mysterious disease – everything from a controversial stem cell surgery, to traditional Chinese herbs, to vitamin supplements, to vibrating beds.

His film is an exploration of his own mortality, and our society’s treatment of the sick. Ben Byer died last month. His sister, Rebeccah Rush, produced the film, called Indestructible, and she joins Word of Mouth to tell us more about her brother.

Watch the trailer for Indestructible below:

(Photo of Ben Byer floating in the Dead Sea by Roko Belic)