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Neuro Note 4: Fundamentals of Caring

I chose to write this neuro note about the movie, Fundamentals of Caring, after learning about Muscular Dystrophy in class. The fictional movie is about a writer named Ben who decides to take a caregiving job with a family caring for 18 year old Trevor, who is diagnosed with Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy (DMD). Trevor is sarcastic and cynical and has a hard time clicking with any of his previous caregivers. Ben and Trevor become close, but not without bumps in the road.

Trevor has a fascination with traveling and seeing the world's biggest pit. Ben suggests that they do just that, but not without reservations from Trevor and his mother. Despite the hesitancy, Ben and Trevor take off.  On the way, they pick up a young girl named Dot who Trevor becomes fond of, and then a pregnant woman named Peaches. The bulk of the movie is about their journey to the pit.

They finally make it there and are in awe of the beauty. Peaches goes into labor and Ben helps deliver the baby while having flashbacks of the death of his young son, which is the first time in the movie the viewers learn what happened. Dot's father shows up to pick her up and Ben and Trevor are preparing to head back home. Trevor had a dream to pee standing up over the pit, even though he was in a wheelchair and not able to stand. With the help of an ambulance stretcher, Ben straps Trevor in and holds him up to pee over the railing into the pit. Although this more than likely wouldn't happen in real life, this was a beautiful scene because Trevor was feeling pure bliss for the first time.

The guys arrive back home and Ben quits the caregiving job but remains friends with Trevor. Ben's life was changed because of his journey with Trevor. He finally dealt with the death of his son and began to write again. I love a good story like this. As an occupational therapist, the goal is to change the lives of clients, but it's all to often that the clients change the lives of occupational therapists.

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