ALS film to be featured during today’s Schwartz Center Rounds

Rebeccah Rush

Rebeccah Rush has one wish for patients with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) — hope.

A simple request it would seem, but it gets infinitely more complicated when one considers the hardest truth about the disease — it has no cure.

“With all the progress we have made in other diseases, I find it very frustrating that an ALS diagnosis remains a death sentence,” said Rush, who lost her brother, Ben Byer, last July after his six-year battle with ALS.

Before Byer died, Rush helped him make a documentary film titled “Indestructible,” which chronicled his life as well as others around the world who suffer from the disease.

“Ben was a filmmaker and the movie began as a creative outlet for him after he was diagnosed,” Rush said. “But as time went on, it became apparent to him that little was known publicly about the disease and he began to see that his film could serve a larger purpose.”

Showtimes Rebeccah Rush, producer of the film “Indestructible,” will show a trailer and clips from the movie during the Schwartz Center Rounds today at 11:45 a.m. in the Eppley Science Hall Amphitheater. She also will be on hand for a full-screening of the film at 6 p.m. in the College of Nursing’s Cooper Auditorium. Lunch will be served to the first 100 attendees.

Rush, who was the producer of the film, will be at UNMC today to present at the Schwartz Center Rounds at 11:45 a.m. in the Eppley Science Hall Amphitheater.

Rush’s presentation will feature clips from the film and a discussion about ALS, which also is known as Lou Gehrig’s disease. Gehrig was a hall of fame baseball player whose career and life were cut short by ALS.

Rush also will present a special screening of the full film on Tuesday from 6 to 9 p.m. in the College of Nursing, Cooper Auditorium. Her appearance is sponsored by the College of Public Health and ALS in the Heartland.

ALS is a progressive neurodegenerative disease. It is caused by degeneration of motor neurons that control voluntary muscle movement. Most patients die within three to five years of diagnosis.

Raising awareness about ALS and finding a cure for the disease was Byer’s purpose in life following his diagnosis in 2002. Rush has since put aside her career as a glass artist to continue her brother’s mission.

“ALS patients need something to grasp onto,” Rush said. “I firmly believe that if we can offer them hope, they will be able to cope with their disease better than if they are just preparing to die.”