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Connections: Understanding muscular dystrophy

What would change if you found out, overnight, that your life expectancy had doubled? Maybe a lot. Maybe nothing. But for Gabe Weil, it changed everything: he had muscular dystrophy, and understood what that meant. A film called Gabe tells his remarkable story -- a story of confronting actual life-and-death choices on a daily basis. For Gabe, that meant deciding whether to eat real food or get a G-tube. It meant travel and risks that could end his life.

Our Dialogue on Disability series continues with a preview of the film, which is showing this week at the Little Theatre, and a conversation with Jonathan Piacentino, who is navigating life with his own challenges and difficult decisions. Our guests:

  • Jonathan Piacentino, graduate of Nazareth College, and muscular dystrophy awareness advocate
  • Heidi Schuster, supervisor of the adult day habilitation program at CP Rochester

This program is presented as part of Dialogue on Disability Week – a partnership between WXXI and Al Sigl Community of Agencies – in conjunction with the Herman and Margaret Schwartz Community Series. Dialogue on Disability is supported in part by The Golisano Foundation with additional support from the Fred L. Emerson Foundation.

Evan Dawson is the host of "Connections with Evan Dawson." He joined WXXI in January 2014 after working at 13WHAM-TV, where he served as morning news anchor. He was hired as a reporter for 13WHAM-TV in 2003 before being promoted to anchor in 2007.
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