Ex-teammate’s poignant story told in documentary
This is an edited transcript of an interview with former Cal and NFL linebacker Scott Fujita. He is a producer of the film “Gleason” about his friend and exSaints teammate Steve Gleason, who has amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease:
Q: When (Gleason) was first diagnosed, was it awkward for you to talk to him about it? Like, did he want to talk about it, not want to talk about it, should you not bring it up or did you just take his lead?
A: No, he’s taken this thing head-on from the very beginning. The day he was diagnosed (in 2011) it was crushing for everybody involved. I think we had a sense that something was coming because he had these symptoms but nothing prepares you for that moment when the news comes in. My uncle had this disease, so I know how brutal it was, but Steve took it on head-on and just attacked it. “Gleason”: Opens Friday at Bay Area theaters. To see a trailer, go to https://youtu.be/ WgkQU32XSFQ
Q: How much inspiration and strength do you draw from Steve?
A: Like everybody, we all do. It’s not just Steve’s story but (wife) Michel’s story as well. I don’t want to call her an unsung hero, but Steve’s story has been told in a really big way. This movie really pulls back the curtain and you see a really strong story of the both of them. We screened this movie in Washington with ALS patients and caregivers and there was this great anxiety showing it in front of that crowd but just the response we got and caregivers standing up and giving Michel a standing ovation and thanking her for sharing her story was just amazing. We’re happy for her to have this moment too because she deserves it. Q: The average life expectancy is two to five years, but he continues to fight. When you talk to him about it, why go on when the quality of life is what it is for him?
A: It depends on how you define “quality of life.” I think Steve will tell you right now that he has a great life. He feels like in many respects he’s beaten this disease. And he has so much support around him that the caregiver team allows him to go to school and pick up Rivers (his son) every day. And he can converse with Rivers every day via technology, and Steve always says that absent a cure for the disease, technology is the cure. So Steve has really been on the forefront of pushing tech so it’s just the way he’s living his life by having conversations with his son and just living is pretty remarkable.
Q: Where are we in terms of finding a cure?
A: It’s tough to say. There is more conversation and discussion around this disease than there ever has been before. I think some of that comes from Steve and his popularity and the way he’s getting awareness about this out there, and then there’s also the Ice Bucket Challenge which spread like wildfire and got people talking about the disease. It’s also the Stephen Hawking film from last year. So all these things together have ignited the conversation, and that’s a good thing because for so long this disease has been forgotten about.