Extraordinary Measures
SABC2, Channel 192, Monday, 21:30 This fact-based family drama might not have won any big awards, but it’s still a moving experience that could strike a chord with parents.
It’s based on the story of John and Aileen Crowley, whose two children, Patrick and Megan, were diagnosed with a rare genetic disorder called glycogen storage disease type II — or Pompe disease, after the Dutch pathologist JC Pompe who first identified and documented it.
The problem with rare diseases is that they don’t get as much research poured into finding cures as more commonplace ailments — which is reasonable, but frustrating for parents whose children suffer from them.
Luckily, John Crowley was an executive in the field of biotechnology and was able to direct research to some degree towards finding a cure for his children — something any of us would do if we had the means, I’m sure — and the result, enzyme replacement therapy, saved his children’s lives and offered hope to other sufferers of the illness.
The roles of John and Aileen Crowley went to Brendan Fraser and Keri Russell respectively, with Meredith Droeger and Diego Velazquez playing their kids.
Harrison Ford plays Dr Stonehill, a fictional specialist who is a collage of the several real-life researchers who worked on the project.