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Have you seen SMA depicted in medical dramas?
Hello, SMA community!
I enjoyed this column by Anna Jeter. This is from Pulmonary Hypertension News, one of our sibling sites. Anna writes about many of the frustrations she’s had with medical dramas in the past, and how they are often woefully inaccurate. As a patient with pulmonary hypertension, she stopped watching these shows for a long time because they tended to romanticize or dismiss the realities of living with chronic illnesses.
However, she does admire current TV hit, “The Pitt,” for its grounded depiction of healthcare workers and patients. While not perfect, it aims to portray the realities of an emergency department. You can check out columns by me and Sherry about this show.
Have you seen SMA depicted in medical dramas? How do you feel about the portrayals you’ve seen of chronic illnesses?
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2 Replies
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All great columns! I don’t think I’ve ever seen SMA portrayed in a medical drama, but to tell you the truth, I stopped watching them years ago because they bring back my own medical traumas from the past. 😅 I’ve debated watching The Pitt so many times, though. It looks so good.
I have to agree with Anna. I feel like when chronic illness is portrayed on most shows, it’s either romanticized or considered inspiration porn. I know that’s not always the case, and we’re starting to see more disability represented in media, which is awesome!
I could be wrong, but wasn’t there an SMA patient on House years ago?
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Thanks! Yeah, the portrayals are typically very dehumanizing and cliché. That’s what I like about “The Pitt.” The writers really go the extra mile to humanize the patients.
And I never watched House, but I know what you’re talking about. The guy who wrote that episode is actually an SMA parent who I had on the podcast a few years ago. We met at the 2022 conference in Anaheim. https://podcasts.apple.com/ie/podcast/93-interview-with-garrett-lerner-co-creator-and/id1311516323?i=1000540517546
podcasts.apple.com
#93: Interview With Garrett Lerner, Co-creator and Executive Producer of NBC Series “Ordinary Joe”
Podcast Episode · SMA News & Perspectives · 2 November 2021 · 45min
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