Breathe – Robin Cavendish’s breathtaking life.

Last night while rummaging around for a movie to watch I found an absolute gem, and can’t believe that this heart-warming and inspirational 2017 movie had gone under my radar.

‘Breathe” is based on the true life of Robin Cavendish, a young man who is completely disabled by polio, and the efforts his family and friends make to change what was seen in the 1960’s as an unavoidable and depressing future confined to hospital.

The story picks up when Robin, played by Andrew Garfield (The Amazing Spiderman, Hacksaw Ridge, Silence) and Diana, performed by Claire Foy (The Crown, Unsane, First Man, Wolf Hall) first meet and fall in love.

Their carefree early married life in Africa is shattered when Robin quickly succumbs to paralysis and his life is sustained only by a ventilator. Diana plans for their return to England as soon as she has given birth to their first and only child, Johnathan.

Robin’s desire to ‘live’ not just survive and Diana’s tenacity drives their radical efforts to see him leave hospital and live at home with his family. Their defiance inspires friends and family to invent a ventilator wheelchair so that he can move outdoors, around his town, and to Europe.

Polio is a highly infectious virus. Entering the body from the mouth it invades the nervous system and can cause paralysis very quickly. Although many sufferers are only partially paralysed it can lead to quadriplegia, as in Robin’s case. Even those who recover can spend many months with their breathing supported by an iron lung and enduring painful treatments.

Polio was a common childhood illness last century and many famous people suffered and recovered from it, including Kerry Packer, Alan Alda, Mia Farrow, Arthur C Clarke, Freda Kahlo and Franklin D Roosevelt. A vaccine was developed in 1955 and as a result of an extensive immunisation program it has been eradicated in many parts of the world, including Australia in 2000.

Many Australian students were first introduced to the effects of polio by the book “I can jump puddles” the autobiographical work of Australian writer Alan Marshall. He records his happy, precious childhood in regional Australia in spite of his crippling illness.

You can currently watch Breathe (2017) for free in Australia at SBS on Demand.

Robin Cavendish’s extraordinary life and his advocacy for disabled people is beautifully shared in this wonderful movie. Enjoy the trailer but definitely see the movie.