Patrick O’Brien has been living with ALS since 2005. He’s making a documentary movie about the course of his own life since he discovered that he has a terminal illness. You can check out clips from the movie-in-progress at: www.patrickobrienfoundation.org.
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- Patrick O’Brien has experienced what he calls ‘enlightenment by shotgun.’ In 2005, he was diagnosed with a debilitating terminal illness: ALS, or Lou Gehrig’s disease. But instead of giving in to resentment, he’s made the decision to live every remaining moment as beautifully as possible. (You can check out movie clips, photos and other stuff at his website: www.patrickobrienfoundation.org.)
- ALS sufferers are told by doctors that they have two to five years to live. But neuroscientist Jeffrey Rothstein has made it his life’s work to extend that span as much as possible. Dr. Rothstein hopes that in his lifetime we’ll discover a way to halt the progression of ALS, and he joins us for a talk about how it might happen. (Dr. Rothstein is the head of The Robert Packard Center for ALS Research. You can find the center on the web at: www.alscenter.org.)
- We visit with Doug Retzler and Ryan Patterson, two artists and environmentalists whose playful but thoughtful approach to green living blends art, humor, and the great outdoors to make provocative statements about the world around us (and our place in it). (Check out: www.greencitybaltimore.org)

