23 year-old CF Patient Travels the Country to Film Documentary

23 year-old Beau Rich is not the first person to plan an inspired cross-country trek across the United States, visiting some of the most picturesque nature spots along the way. He’s also not the first person to plan on filming his travels and putting together a movie about his adventure. The big difference with Beau is that he suffers from cystic fibrosis (CF) and his audacious journey is part of an effort to create a compelling documentary on how those with CF can lead an active lifestyle while still living with the disease. During the course of two weeks, Rich will travel the country, challenging himself to persist in pursuing his dreams while managing his health, all with the help of film student and cinematographer Miles Stancil.

The main purpose of the project is to showcase ways to improve medication adherence and compliance among adults in the CF community by offering a firsthand look at an active, healthy, young man who is successfully managing and maintaining CF. “I want to get this film to the CF community and show that there is another way to live, a better way to live,” Rich says in the presentation video of the documentary.

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“I have never really let CF get in the way of many of the things I wanted to do. That’s who I am, I am gonna enjoy life, I am gonna climb a mountain, I’m gonna do things in this world,” he says in the video, which was created to raise funds for the documentary. Using the GoFundMe crowdfunding platform, he has already raised over $2,800, with a final goal of reaching $8,000 to cover all of the film’s expenses, including sound and editing equipment needed, gas, hotel, and recreational activities that play a major part in showing Beau participating in an active lifestyle in spite of the disease.

Beau Rich left Orlando, Florida on June 29th and drove to Denver, Colorado. Having arrived in Denver on July 10th, he announced on his crowdfunding page that he’ll now “be making the solo trip from Denver to Los Angeles, California” as the last leg of the trip. Travelling across the country is a challenge in and of itself — and an even bigger one for someone with CF, because of the need to keep track on his health and, as Beau muses in the video, to carry his “big bag of drugs.”

Along with the regimen of prescription drugs, Beau’s trip across the country has also been facilitated by novel medical devices as well, which aid in maintaining lung function for CF patients. “There have been many, many advancements in personal and portable medical devices that have allowed active adults with Cystic Fibrosis to live life on their terms. I believe this documentary will inspire, motivate, educate, and most of all, provide a positive outlook to those living with this disabling disease,” Rich said.

Be sure to follow Cystic Fibrosis News Today for continued updates to Beau’s stories.