Louise (who was Neil's wife) compares "depressing" assumptions with "uplifting" reactions.

Do you like Green Eggs and Ham? Oscar turned six in August, so I think I’ve been quoting this Dr. Seuss book at him at least once a week for three years now, and not just at the dinner table; I find its sentiment fit into many a strong willed battle.

He came home one day during his very first week of school and told me that "a girl" had said he was "disgusting" because he had olives in his packed lunch. I said: "Oscar, it’s not disgusting to eat olives" (despite what his Daddy would have taught him), and he said "I know, I told her 'Green Eggs and Ham'." Needless to say, I was very proud of my little bookworm.

Just the other day, somebody said to me:

"I felt really guilty for laughing while I was watching I AM BREATHING, but it did make me laugh!"

I loved the fact that the humour in the film was the first thing to come to his mind, perhaps because I know this was a person who had watched a loved one suffer the same fate as Neil: motor neurone disease (you may know it as ALS, Lou Gehrig's disease, or ELA).

One of our biggest challenges in getting people to see I AM BREATHING is that people assume they will find it depressing and they won’t like it. This is when I wish I could go round quoting Dr. Seuss!

Unlike expectations, most people comment after watching the film that they found it uplifting and life-affirming, and that it gave them and an appreciation for small blessings in their own lives and for the people they love around them.

Isn't that what people are struggling to find at this time of year when an onslaught of marketing descends? Wouldn't that feel like a real gift?

Best wishes, Sam-I-Am!

Considering giving I AM BREATHING as a gift? With Christmas fast approaching and the DVDs produced on the demand and mailed from the U.S., we recommend that you order at the beginning of December at the latest.

I AM BREATHING is now also available on DVD in the United States, Mexico and Japan – on top of more than 50 other countries.