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The director of Gleason successfully captured a message centered on the importance of family relationships along with the struggles that come with having a terminal disease by using emotional interviews with  Steve Gleason's family and friends as well as depicting the most difficult aspects of living with ALS.

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The director used the film to provide an genuine portrayal of what it is like to live with ALS and to live with someone who has the disease. At the same time, the director wanted to promote the need for  technology to help those with ALS communicate.

- The film showed both the high and lows of living with ALS, the days when Gleason won an award or promoted his cause successfully, as well as the days when he barely held on to the desire to live. Documentaries about this topic often only show what people are comfortable seeing. This film, however, showed not only his physical struggles that are sometimes awkward to watch,  (his need for help going to the bathroom and practicing hygiene), but also the emotional struggles, that at times seemed even more difficult to watch (the deterioration of his marriage or when he expresses his frustration about his condition). The interviews included of friends and family where honest and real. They didn't pretend to be perfect or enjoy the process. They shared how difficult it was to take care of Steve and mentally handle the situation.

- The film also focused a lot on the significance of technology. Steve shared his beliefs through out the film about how important communication devices were for those battling ALS. The director included clips focusing on Team Gleason (Steve's organization focused on providing such technology) often in the documentary, discussing it's philosophy as well as the obstacles the organization has over come. The director include several personal stories of people with ALS who were helped by the organization. Overall, the director paints the organization in a very positive light and emphasizes the need for the services it provides.

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The director did achieve his purpose of giving a genuine depiction of ALS and promoting the cause of Team Gleason as well as focusing on the importance of family relationships.

- The director included scenes that showed Gleason's exhaustion. In one scene, he types out with tears in his eyes how hard it is for him to push through, and how some days he can barely hang on. The Director utilizes the camera to emphasize the pain Steve and his wife experience. In one specific scene, the camera zooms into Michel's face as she struggles to hold back tears while watching her husband struggle to hoist himself out of a lake. Another such scene shows Steve trying to reach out to Michel, whilst she barely responds, showing her exhaustion.

- The director includes many scene where the viewer feels as if they have stepped right into Steve and Michel's life, including conversation most people wouldn't be comfortable having in front of a camera, such as conversations with Steve's dad about spirituality.

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I thought it was interesting how all the reviews noted how intimate the documentary was. One Review noted that the documentary wouldn't have been as uplifting had Steve Gleason not been ex NFL player, and therefore able to live a much more comfortable life. That thought never crossed my mind, but reading it, I realized how true it was.

This documentary really showed what difference health care can make in some ones life. In the case of someone with ALS, it can literally make the difference of being able to communicate or not. Often the importance of accessible health care can be brushed off, but this film showed the reality of some  one who would need it to live even a minimally comfortable life.

As for how personal the documentary was, I applaud how vulnerable the Gleason's were willing to be to share a genuine story of living with a terminal illness. It's one of those things where someone has to say "Okay, this has to be said, and I'll be the person to do it ". I personally don't know if I would be brave enough to be that real about what ALS is like. Not only is it hard, it's humiliating within one's own circle of friends, much less on a national level. I think he did what he need to do to express something the world needed to hear, even if it was hard

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"Today marks the six year anniversary of my ALS diagnosis, and I love my life. I feel purposeful and fulfilled with where I am. I'm excited about what is ahead," began the note written by Steve Gleason.

Gleason posted the note Thursday to Twitter, giving his thoughts on his life since the diagnosis he went public with on Sept. 25, 2011. Since his announcement, the former Saints standout has worked to spread awareness about amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.

Six years ago today, I was diagnosed with ALS. Here are my thoughts:
-SG
"... I am happy." pic.twitter.com/yTV6Ad9fqi
- Steve Gleason (@TeamGleason) January 6, 2017

In his note, Gleason described how the "remorseless and humiliating disease" impacts not only the diagnosed individual but also those who care for them.

"It can leave its victims in a pathetic, silent, purposeless heap of flesh. It can annihilate families. Spouses become unrecognizable to each other, veiled in frustration, anger, and shame," he wrote.

Technology, Gleason wrote, was the only solution he found that helped those with ALS stay purposeful and productive.

Gleason and his wife, Michel, made recordings for their child Rivers; started Team Gleason to help others; and shared the good and bad moments of their lives in the recent film "Gleason."

Despite all the trials he has faced, Gleason wanted to let it be known that he is happy.

"While I intend to continue living a meaningful life for decades, I understand that my timeline is fragile, just like you. I don't pray for a life without suffering, I pray for the strength to understand, while living triumphantly.

"Six years after being handed a terminal diagnosis, I know this. I am happy."
To read Gleason's note in full, click here.

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'I love my life': Steve Gleason reflects on life with ALS, 6 years after terminal diagnosis

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"Today marks the six year anniversary of my ALS diagnosis, and I love my life. I feel purposeful and fulfilled with where I am. I'm excited about what is ahead," began the note written by Steve Gleason. Gleason posted the note Thursday to Twitter, giving his thoughts on his life since the diagnosis he went public with on Sept.

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Steve Gleason's powerful body gave him everything, and then it betrayed him. He was a celebrated safety for the New Orleans Saints for seven years before retiring from the NFL in 2008. His blocked punt during a 2006 game propelled him to fame and became a symbol of the city's resilience after Hurricane Katrina.

Then, in 2011, Gleason announced he had amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, otherwise known as ALS or Lou Gehrig's disease. Over the next few years his muscles would cease functioning, first eroding his ability to walk, then to speak, and finally to breathe on his own.

Gleason and his wife, Michel Rae Varisco, decided to document his illness's horrific progression, both as an awareness-raising effort and as a video keepsake for their son, Rivers, with whom Varisco was pregnant when Gleason was diagnosed. For five years, cameras tracked the family's daily struggles. They showed Varisco as she fed her husband with one hand and her newborn with the other. They followed Gleason as he learned to communicate using only his eyes. The resulting film, Gleason, was screened at at Spotlight Health, a conference co-hosted by the Aspen Institute and The Atlantic, and will be released in theaters on July 29.

The screening was followed a conversation with Varisco, producer Kimi Culp, and family friend Blair Casey, who served as a caretaker to Gleason and now leads the family's ALS-related outreach and fundraising.

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Steve Gleason's powerful body gave him everything, and then it betrayed him. He was a celebrated safety for the New Orleans Saints for seven years before retiring from the NFL in 2008. His blocked punt during a 2006 game propelled him to fame and became a symbol of the city's resilience after Hurricane Katrina.