Watch: One couple’s fight against a terminal illness
A New Jersey couple have featured in a documentary to highlight their struggle against a terminal disease.
David Adox was just 43 when he was diagnosed with Lou Gehrig’s disease – a neurological condition that attacks the body’s nervous system and reduces motor function.
People with the condition eventually lose control of their muscles and need assistance to breathe.
There is currently no cure.
In an interview with Time Magazine, David and his husband, Danni Michaeli, explain how they live with the condition that affects around 12,000 people in the US.
“In some way I’ve always been a caregiver for Dave, just because I feel like spouses are often that way with each other,” said Danni, who is also a psychiatrist.
The pair live together with their one-year-old son, Orion, in South Orange, New Jersey, where they agreed to let photographer, Abby Kraftowitz, document their life.
When discussing the project, she said: “I was inspired by their capacity to celebrate life and love in the face of this disease.
“You enter their house, and you feel it everywhere. They created that for themselves.”
Since the discovery of the condition, David has tried to remain positive.
“Things happen in life to everybody, but you have a choice in how you want to tell the story of those events,” he said.
“I think that’s the most powerful tool to have as a person: to know that you’re able to create the story of you. It’s not just given to you by what happens.”
Since filming, David’s condition has worsened and he is now only able to communicate with his eyes.
