Though chronic fatigue syndrome affects more than 1 million Americans, it is still largely misunderstood by both the public and the medical community; Jennifer Brea shares her personal experience, reports the Los Angeles Times.
Which is why Brea made “Unrest,” a documentary about her battle with ME/CFS that opened in L.A. this weekend and will be shown on PBS in January. While the film serves as a medical explainer, it’s also a love story, following the relationship between Brea and her husband, Omar Wasow. When the couple met, Wasow was also working toward his PhD at Harvard. Eleven years older than Brea, he had already built up an impressive résumé, serving as a technology reporter on NBC and even helping to teach Oprah Winfrey how to use the internet on her talk show.
“Director Jennifer Brea Exposes the Personal Pain of a Rare Sleep Disorder in the Documentary ‘Unrest’”
Correction:
Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (ME/CFS) is not rare — affecting over a million Americans — and definitely not a sleep disorder. Although disrupted unrefreshing sleep is a symptom, ME/CFS is a neuroimmune disease.