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In documentary "Gleason," director J. Clay Tweel not only portrays the mental and physical difficulties the disease ALS posed on Steve Gleason and his developing family, but also the growth and acceptance he and his family gains as they battle the ongoing changes their lives endured due to the diagnosis.

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Clay Tweel sets out to show how a former NFL player and his family's life was turned upside down after being diagnosed with ALS. The director did not only make the documentary to spread awareness about ALS, but to show how a sudden diagnosis can affect a developing family. The director's main focus was being able to capture the hardships Steve Gleason and his family endure. The director effectively demonstrated the numerous ways ALS affected Gleason's lifestyle. Also, the director demonstrated ways Gleason changed the face of ALS, especially towards the end of the film by introducing the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge and his foundation.

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Some of the various techniques that the director used included: background music, camera angles, and Steve's personal videos to his son. One scene that was defined by the background music was when Gleason was typing what he felt. The intensity of the song that was chosen could bring anyone to tears. During Rivers' 4th birthday, the camera was focused on him blowing out his candles with his dad, blurry, but still in the frame. Then, the frame switches and focuses solely on Steve, capturing the isolation ALS has put him in, despite the happiness and celebrations around him. The personal videos that were included showed the audience the progression of Gleason's disease and how it was affecting him overall, mentally and physically. It gave the audience an inside look on how Steve was still able to hang on despite the many times he could have quit. As for Gleason changing the face of ALS, he vigorously advocated for the right of those with ALS to use a computer with an automated voice to communicate. He was successful in this movement, and was able to have healthcare cover the costs of the technological needs.

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After reading the reviews, the topic that caught our eye the most was from the article written by Katie Rife, "A Former Football Pro Documents His Struggle With ALS In Gleason."  Towards the end of her review, Rife comes across the point that Gleason is able to live the way he lives due to his wealthiness. He does not have to work and neither does his wife. Then the author goes into how he can easily afford treatments and technologies to keep him alive for the longest possible. Other ALS patients may not have these "luxuries" that Steve attains.
Gleason faced a conflict between his foundation and being able to make time for the video diaries for his son. If I were Gleason, I would most definitely make my son my priority. In the long run, his foundation can last as long as it can since others help Steve out. Unfortunately, Gleason's time is limited and he needs to put his son above anything else.

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The postmodern practice of recording every aspect of your daily life for posterity certainly has its downsides, but it's also what makes a movie like Gleason possible. The documentary follows the everyday routines of former pro football player Steve Gleason, from his days as a college linebacker through his career with the New Orleans Saints up until the present day. Only a brief portion of the film is devoted to Gleason's moment of gridiron glory during the Saints' highly symbolic comeback after Hurricane Katrina, though. Most of it is dedicated to Gleason's struggle with ALS, also known as Lou Gehrig's disease, a progressive neurodegenerative disease that gradually weakens the muscles, affecting a person's ability to walk, talk, and eventually breathe. Gleason was diagnosed with ALS in 2011, and he was given two to five years to live.

Gleason's diagnosis coincided with the discovery that his wife was pregnant, inspiring him to start keeping video diaries for the unborn son who would know him as a completely different person, if at all. These recordings make up the majority of the film, along with a smattering of news footage and talking-head interviews to fill in the gaps before Gleason started keeping video records of his life. The footage starts out relatively lighthearted, showing a tan, healthy, happy-go-lucky Gleason enjoying hippie-jock pursuits like jamming out to his favorite band, Pearl Jam, and participating in triathlons where one of the events involves chugging a beer. Soon, though, his gait becomes awkward, and he has trouble running, then trouble walking. Then his speech becomes noticeably slurred. Soon, Gleason is confined to a wheelchair and speaking through an electronic device, à la Stephen Hawking.

As an attempt to raise awareness of what it's actually like to live with ALS, Gleason (as well as Gleason) should be lauded. Some of this footage is painfully intimate, not turning away even when Gleason is unable to perform basic bodily functions by himself. (A scene where he describes the surreal, humiliating experience of soiling himself after appearing in front of cheering crowds at the Superdome is especially vulnerable.) Even as his condition deteriorates, the film doesn't shy away from showing how the disease affects Gleason's relationship with his wife-who's physically and emotionally exhausted from having to care for a helpless baby and nearly-as-helpless man at the same time-and deeply religious father, who at one point takes the family to a faith healer in another painful-to-watch scene.

Amid all this intimacy, however, there's one thing that isn't spoken of with the same degree of openness, and that's the privilege that allows Gleason to live as well as he does. Not only does he not have to work, neither does his wife, and they have a family friend around as a presumably paid full-time caretaker. He can afford the best treatments and technologies and-by the end-even to extend his life, because he's a well-off former NFL player. Most patients don't have these luxuries. This unspoken undercurrent comes close to the surface a few times, but is never really explored, especially in the feel-good sequences showcasing Gleason's work with his foundation-which, it must be said, did fight to have communication devices for non-verbal ALS patients covered by Medicare and Medicaid. Perhaps it's unfair to expect one person (or documentary, for that matter) to tackle all of this at once, especially when they're sharing their story in such an intensely visceral way. Still, it's this same privilege that allows Gleason to be an essentially uplifting, rather than depressing, story. It raises the question: If Steve Gleason wasn't a famous name, would we still be watching?

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A former football pro documents his struggle with ALS in Gleason

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The postmodern practice of recording every aspect of your daily life for posterity certainly has its downsides, but it's also what makes a movie like Gleason possible. The documentary follows the everyday routines of former pro football player Steve Gleason, from his days as a college linebacker through his career with the New Orleans Saints up until the present day.

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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.