Living Proof

LIVING PROOF is the true story of an incurable disease, a mother's promise, and a family's love. John Del Guercio was diagnosed in 2002 with Spinal Muscular Atrophy (SMA type 1) when he was just two months old. His doctors predicted he would not make it past age two, and saw no hope for a treatment for another ten to fifteen years. John's family, however, refused to give up hope. Against all odds, John survives six months, passes his first-year mark, and reaches his second birthday.




In 2016, when John was fourteen years old, the FDA approved the first ever treatment for SMA type 1; John received his first shot of the drug Nusinersen, or Spinraza, a few months later. In the years in between, John works tirelessly with a devoted team of physical, occupational and speech therapists on a daily regimen to keep his body and mind strong enough for when he is able to walk.




John's journey with his family was sometimes incredibly challenging, and not one all would travel, but it also created a life of grace, beauty and joy beyond expectation. LIVING PROOF shows us one family who embraced a re-envisioned life and learned that the most terrible news sometimes blooms into something good.