First Lady Jill Biden hosted a screening of the documentary about Brian Wallach and Sandra Abrevaya.
The First Lady invited me to watch a movie at the White House.
Sort of.
Two years ago, Katie read a profile in Politico about Brian Wallach, a handsome former assistant U.S. attorney who, at the age of 37, was diagnosed with ALS. On the day he and his wife Sandra Abrevaya brought their second daughter home from the hospital, he was told he had six months to live.
Now, more than six years later, Brian and Sandra have revolutionized what it means to receive an ALS diagnosis: increasing access to resources for families, unlocking more than $80 million in federal research funding, and changing the laws that prevented patients from receiving life-saving drugs.
Brian’s college roommate, Chris Burke, knew their story was too incredible, too inspiring, and too heart-wrenching to live in the shadows, so he decided to make a documentary about the couple, called No Ordinary Campaign. Shortly after Katie learned about the project, she came on as an executive producer, doing everything in her power to support the film and raise awareness.
As you’ll learn in the documentary, Brian and Sandra met working on Obama and Biden’s 2008 campaign and have maintained close relationships with both families and their former colleagues who still work in politics.
Fifteen years later, the First Lady welcomed the two of them back to the White House, offering to host a screening of the documentary and Brian and Sandra generously invited me to join. I took the train down from New York, and Sandra and Brian flew in from Chicago. (And no matter how difficult travel can be, with two little girls and Brian’s wheelchair in tow, they never complain.)
As attendees trickled into the reception, we all pieced together how we knew these awe-inspiring people: I met Brian’s neurologist, his brothers, the film’s producer and editor, fellow ALS patients and their families, and the team behind Brian and Sandra’s non-profit, I AM ALS. It was a cocktail hour to remember.
Dr. Biden gave the opening remarks. “You have channeled your pain into purpose, your energy into a nationwide movement,” she said, “and you’ve both turned your experience and expertise in politics into I AM ALS, which has been an incredible force for change…Thank you.”
Sandra spoke on Brian’s behalf, reading remarks he’d prepared: “The last time I stepped foot in the White House, I also did not have a terminal illness. I could walk and talk, I could type on my Blackberry and I could hug Sandra, my White House colleague and girlfriend at the time…But what I do have now, is a real appreciation for how much love matters, how powerful that love is.”
I’ve seen No Ordinary Campaign upwards of 10 times, and each viewing brings me to tears. Brian and Sandra’s story could so easily be one of devastation, but instead, every step of the way, they give me hope. They’re living evidence that one person (or two, more accurately) can change the world.
Helping to bring this project to the Aspen Ideas Festival, the Chicago Film Festival, and SXSW has been the highlight of my last few years, and I know Katie would agree. I’m so excited for you all to be able to watch it — I think you’ll be able to soon — but until then, please follow Brian on Instagram and X. You’ll be glad you did!
